


Iron and Wine

by MystyVander



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Being Lost, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Male Slash, Romance, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-23 17:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 41,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1574084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MystyVander/pseuds/MystyVander
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>COMPLETE! Harry and Draco both don't want the future that has been planned for them, but it's hard to runaway from the inevitable. The boys find themselves lost together after a battle with Voldemort, and they find much more than their way back to Hogwarts on their journey. Ignores HBP/DH.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine.  
> The songs within this fic are ALL from the band Iron and Wine.  
> It is slightly OOC and most definitely AU.  
> Enjoy, kudos and please review! :)

The air seemed thin that night; the moon hung like a gem glistening against a blanketed navy sky, the stars shone as if nothing was wrong. Yet, down on the hard dirt brown Earth, it seemed as though all hell had broken lose. As it was a full moon, which was a unaccounted for problem as the sixteen year-old boy had forgotten about his Professor and guardians condition.

As soon as the two had been portkeyed away by a mischevious hooded stranger outside of The Three Broomsticks, Remus Lupin's transformation had immediately begun on the forest floor. They had appeared in an ancient clearing, that seemed to be a stone alter in the center. It was a Death Eater initiation, and what a better time to prove your worth to the Dark Lord than to show up fashionably late with a startled Harry Potter?

Ah yes, Lord Voldemort stood in the distance from where the two men had appeared, wand drawn out by the boy in defence as he allowed himself distance from Remus. He knew that the werewolf side of the man would turn into havoc incrediably fast, but if it were a choice to rip Harry's innards out or those of a Death Eater...well, it's easy to see who the monster would pick.

"If it isn't the great Harry Potter, thank you Mister Nott," the Dark Lord hissing voice sounded, and pain shot through Harry's lightning bolt scar and shuddered through his entire body.

Hooded Death Eaters, new and old alike, were in a ritualistic circle and all looking through shadowed eyes at the scene with their own wands at the ready. Voldemort, however, seemed calm as ever as he strode forward, his face covered. But Harry knew exactly what he looked like; those slitted eyes, puny and emanating only darkness, that slimy flesh that was just so wholly unnatural. Voldemort was no longer a human being, but caught somewhere in between death and the creature world. Harry was no longer afraid of him, ever since the sporadic battles that had happened over the past year what reason had he? He had accepted that one of them was going to die...he had accepted that at some point, he wouldn't react quick enough. But for some reason on that evening, the tightening in his gut told him that that night wasn't happening. Not yet.

Remus had transformed through howls, he was spewing as he took awareness of his surroundings, his hunched back heaved. The werewolf, no longer sane during his transformations, took no time to leap forward at the threatening group and began to attack. Spells flew this way and that almost immediately, but Harry was surprised when none were aimed at him. He had been prepared to react, but there was no reason to. But did they really think they could subdue a forty year-old werewolf? Not terribly likely without some kind of fight. 

" _Stupe-_ "

" _Relashio!_ " Harry bellowed from across the clearing, his wand pointed at the Death Eater who was about to stun Moony who was currently perusing one certain hooded man. The man cowered in fear, fell over his own two feet and onto the ground. And then as quickly as Remus was about to attack, a howling was heard off in the distance. Harry breathed a deep sigh of release, he had harmed one Death Eater and still nobody had attacked him as Moony's creature immediately responded to the calling of his own. He quickly leaped upwards and pounded towards the sound, leaving the dark Wizards and Harry behind him, spells and hexes dizzying after him. 

And then there was Harry. He wasn't thinking, all he was doing was feeling. And it wasn't fear. It was anger, hatred and disgust towards this creature slowly approaching him in a sauntering manner. "Macnair, I would like you to take Crabbe and Goyle Jr. with you to monitor the beast. As soon as the transformation ends, bring him to me,"

"No! It's me you want, you bastard! Now what the fuck do you want with me, get it over with already, would you!" Harry screamed angrily, his fists clenched at his side and his wand nearly snapping under the pressure. He was breathing heavily again, he couldn't take the emotions that had been bottling up inside of him which felt like ever. Especially lately.

Seven Muggle attacks, more than one hundred casualties...Voldemort had to die. It had to be done, and Harry was willing to sacrifice himself trying. At least he wouldn't have to see what the world would come to if he couldn't kill the creature like the prophecy said he had to. Voldemort's face twisted into a crooked smirk, he cackled in the moonlight. "Ah Harry my dear boy," he cooed, stepping ever so closer to Harry who shivered in hatred. Out of all the hooded onlookers, he didn't know that one amongst them would stand up for him that night and most possibly save his life.

"You've got quite the temper these dayssss haven't you? And what do you think you're going to do, Wonder Boy?" he sneered, closing the distance between himself and a heavily breathing Harry.

"I'm gonna tear you to pieces," Harry snarled back into his face and he raised his wand to jab into Voldemort's chest, the creature cackled amusedly. "You think this is funny, _Tom_?"

"Very, indeed. Tonight's a special night dear Harry, for it is initiation. I have with me new recruits, and I need to test their faith to me-"

"Faith? Hah," Harry barked, he turned his back to Voldemort which surprised everybody in the forest clearing. He eyed the hooded figures heatedly, his wand pointed with a straight readied arm, "You call following a blind madman faith? You're all pathetic," he spat. His anger for this entire war and all the good people lost in it had been bottling up inside of him; he had no fear here, all that was at risk was himself, he felt strongly that Remus could take care of himself. This was Harry taking care of his own. 

"Oh Harry, how you've grown over the years!" Voldemort was smirking with pure amusement now, his hands clasped together before he turned to his loyal Death Eaters. "The biggest test of all...Malfoy, step forward!" he demanded, a hooded figure just taller than Harry stepped forward from the mass, he walked without pause towards the creature. Voldemort reached forward and grasped the hood, he pushed it back to reveal Draco Malfoy's stone cold face. He was staring blankly into Voldemort's own slitted eyes, something most followers couldn't do. Voldemort stroked the side of his pale, perfect face slowly and Draco refused to react. "Prove yourself to me. Use the Unforgivable you are permitted to use on our special guest here," he cocked his head in Harry's direction.

Now Harry was currently having a mind battle of his own. There stood his six year long classmate, staring icily at the Dark Lord. It didn't come as a surprise to him that he would find the Slytherin Prince there, but still for some reason it hurt. They may have thrown around a lot of insults and gotten each other numerous detentions over the years...but Unforgiveable's? Could Draco really look in the eyes of his classmate and do that to him? And Harry had an odd feeling in his stomach he would let the Slytherin because he himself couldn't harm him. No matter how much he hated him, he couldn't harm him. And apparently, neither could Draco.

The blonde boy had his wand gripped at his side and his face turned into a twisted smirk, "No," he simply said and Voldemort gaped momentarily before chuckling.

"What do you mean by this, boy?"

"I will not bow to you. I will not do a thing for you. You are a crazed fool, Voldemort," Draco said strongly, his gaze never wandering from the others eyes, "And there is no way you could ever make me do that to Harry," he finished in a cool whisper as gasps sounded from through-out the group. Lucius Malfoy had lowered his hood by this point and was advancing vastly.

Harry stood momentarily stunned. ' _Did he just...did Malfoy just..._ ' but he quickly shook himself out of reverie and raised his wand at the advancing Lucius. " _Stupefy!_ " the grown wizard easily deflected the spell and growled to turn away from his son which he had now reached and towards Harry, all the other Death Eaters were anxious waiting demands from their master to attack.

"You dare defy me, boy?! Lucius - leave him for me," Voldemort snapped angrily, still not turning away from his staring contest with Draco, a power struggle sparking between their eyes, "A Malfoy has never denied me, and it will stay the same that one never will,"

"That's where you are wrong, Tom," Harry stepped forward bravely, walking towards the four Wizards that were the centre of everybody's attention. "If Ma-Draco doesn't want to standby you then I will do everything in my power to protect him from your lunacies, and that's a promise," he hissed and before Voldemort could respond or even cackle, he sent a non-verbal hex, akin to stupefy, spinning in Lucius' direction. The elder Malfoy fell to a thud, unconscious to the forest floor.

Draco was now staring wide-eyed at Harry who was glaring at Voldemort, daring him to advance with his emerald eyes; a colour that too closely matched that of the Killing Curse, "You insolent bo-"

" _Aguamenti!_ " a blast of water erupted from the end of Harry's wand and shot at Voldemort, he quickly threw up a mental Protego charm for Draco who was thankfully not drenched by the tidal wave of water. Voldemort and his followers were not so lucky. Some were far enough away to quickly shield themselves from impact. Harry took the moment of collective confusion to race to Draco's side and yank on the blonde boy's wrist, pulling him away from Voldemort who was standing up with wetted robes. Harry found out many battles ago that the man spoke too much and interrupting him surely was the only way to catch him off guard. 

Draco was still in shock, he couldn't move. He had just betrayed his entire family, lineage, friends, House, his  _future_. This certainly had surprised him, he expected to leave that night with Voldemort's mark forever pressed into his forearm. " _Avada Kedavra!_ " Voldemort bellowed, wasting no more time as green light projected itself in Harry's direction. Even a maniac could tell when he was running out of time, he had to act.

The brunette smiled crookedly and raised his wand, pushing Draco behind him, " _Protego Horribilis_ ," his words were barely a whisper as silver light connected with green. Draco looked up amazed as he saw himself totally blanketed by this light, Harry included. And the worst of the Unforgiveable's, was being reflected. Swallowed up by the shield, somehow. His eyes were wide with amazement and they weren't the only ones...Voldemort was gawking, completely awed at the silver shield engulfing the one supposed, unstoppable curse. Harry, however, had no time to feel surprised his charm had worked, after all that practice. His body turned a sickly pale and he fell over onto the earthly floor, he became racked with shivers and sweat. Draco panicked, he bent down quickly and grazed Harry's face. 

"Potter...Potter! Get up! What's wrong?!" He had no idea what was happening any more. There was too much all at once, Voldemort walking quickly towards them with his wand at the ready, seething. "Oh shit, oh bloody hell..." he grumbled and grabbed Harry full into his arms and closed his eyes. Voldemort's footsteps drew nearer and nearer and suddenly...

Darkness.

 


	2. The Rooster Moans

_Crack of dawn the rooster moans_

_Wake up boy you're far from home_

_Serpentine the tracks in flame_

_Longest path the devil laid_

_Led you straight aboard this rusty train._

_Lift your head 'cause you can't sleep_

_Bite your lip 'cause you can't eat_

_Darkest den the devil made_

_Jesus weeps but he's been paid_

_Not to ride inside this rusty train._

* * *

 

Harry woke with a groan, his head throbbing immaculately as he propped himself up on his elbows. The hard surface beneath himself told him that he was still in the forest, but the sound of a small creak trickling by also told him that this area was much more vacant than where he had last remembered being. He opened his eyes slowly to adjust to the early morning light, it seeped in through the green leaves of many trees and he bathed in it before looking around. There was no sign of anybody, nothing, save for a cloak left folded beside him. Curiously, Harry fingered the cloak and brought it towards him.

Bringing the piece of fabric close to him, Harry realized that the cloak smelled strongly of lavender and pine, beneath all of the mud that covered the bottom of it. Harry smiled at the scent, he found it relaxing and enthralling all at once. "Ah, you have finally decided to join the real world again, Potter," an unemotional voice sounded from behind him. Harry quickly dropped the cloak and jumped to his feet to turn to the speaker.

"Malfoy? How-how did we get out of there...alive?" Harry croaked, every word felt like a burden to him as Draco sauntered slowly towards him. 

He put his slender hand on Harry's shoulder and looked down at him with a calculating look in his eyes, Harry looked back up with confusion but didn't move, "You need to rest, I recommend sitting back down," he whispered before turning his back to Harry and walking towards the small stream, it was no more than a few feet wide and deep. 

Harry took in his surroundings. Most of it was brush, trees, dirt and patches of grass. It really was a stunning place, even though he had no idea where he was. "Malfoy," he began slowly, walking towards the blonde who was kneeling by the water with his hands resting gently in the small rapids.

Draco looked worn out, his usual perfect platinum hair was ruffled every way and there were smudges of dirt all over him. He was wearing a white blouse and had it rolled up to his elbows, his black slacks were wrinkled and slightly wet around the ankles. "Where are we and what happened last night?" Harry asked guardedly, he still had no idea what was going on and he needed information before he relaxed. Voldemort could be waiting just around the bend for them and Harry knew he had to do something about that before it was too late.

Sighing heavily, Draco turned to his classmate of six years through clouded silver eyes, "Sit down Harry, then we'll talk," he ordered gently.

Harry gaped and then closed his mouth before sitting cross-legged beside Draco. "We're somewhere up north in the country, quite far from any civilization. This is where Voldemort wanted to have his initiation so it wouldn't be interrupted...but apparently Lupin had a tracking device on him or whatever and it activated once it sensed danger,"

"Yeah, it's a Seek-Escope," Harry hurried along, he already knew this.

"Well, just as Voldemort was about to squash us like two little bugs, the Order arrived and I apparated us out of there. My apologies, I have no idea where I apparated us though I do know it is in the same place as we were before, just a different area of the forest. It seemed the safest bet because no Order member would have been quick enough to save our skins," he growled before taking another deep breath and concentrating on the water rushing over his rugged fingertips.

"Nott decided that instead of showing up for the initiation he'd bring you along. So he caught you unaware and Portkeyed you to us, such a rightful git he is,"

"I get that and all but...why did you deny Voldemort?" Harry asked cautiously, he needed to know this because if Draco was bluffing anything he'd need to quickly apprehend him for his own safety though for some reason Draco seemed the least bit threatening at the moment, though Harry Potter could never be too safe.

"You were right about him. He is a raving lunatic, insane, makes no sense. Hates Muggles even though he's half of one. I never wanted to follow him but I knew I had to, I knew that this would be expected of me. But when I saw you there, how you were all alone but still stood up for what you believed in I felt like a coward. I couldn't let myself become my fearful Father, I needed to do something about it. Did you really expect me to cast Crucio on you?" Draco was whispering now, his eyes were focused completely on the water as he felt Harry's heavy contemplating gaze on himself.

"For some reason, I couldn't see you throwing an Unforgivable at me," Harry nodded slowly, agreeing. 

"I don't know anything else so don't ask me. I scouted out the area once I apparated and it seems like we're pretty faraway. I haven't any idea which way is North and I tried to get food this morning but I haven't any idea what half the creatures are in here and what's edible and...urgh, Potter, what the fuck are we going to do?" Draco groaned now, splashing a fist into the water which sent sparkles all across his skin.

Harry frowned and leaned forward, placing a hand on Draco's back as he hunched over, "Don't worry, it'll be alright. You look knackered, have you slept?"

"Not a wink. With you bloody laying unconscious how could I? What if Death Eaters just came barging in?" he hissed, shrugging off Harry's hand.

"Right well...thanks and all but I think you need rest more than me right now,"

"You honestly think that? After you somehow deflected the Killing Curse using a simple Protego last night? You drained yourself of all your energy and you expect me to sleep now instead of you? If either of us needs to be well rested when Voldemort finds us, it's you," Harry's eyes widened in sudden memory. He had done that, hadn't he? "How did you do that, by the way?" Harry gulped at the question.

"I haven't any clue, Malfoy. Dumbledore has a theory that when used for... _protection_ , the Killing Curse can be rightfully diverted. That's his theory on how I survived it as a baby, because my Mother died protecting me and her love reflected it. Urgh, all this makes no sense!" Harry grumbled, his brow furrowed as Draco still sat stiffly beside him. "One minute I'm having a good friendly lunch with Remus and then...this! We have to figure out a way to contact the Order or Hogwarts or Hermione...somebody!" Harry felt his panicked mind beginning to fully realize what situation he was in. He knew, since Draco was in the least bit unaware of their current surrounding area, apparition was a bad, bad idea - a good one to get them splinched in two, or three, or wind them up in Egypt instead of back at Hogwarts. They could accidentally attempt appariting through a warded area, it just wasn't safe. 

There they were; two sixteen year-olds trapped in the middle of an uncharted forest in Northern Britain, isolated from all else but themselves. If Voldemort didn't find them, they would most certainly die from starvation. "Malfoy, it was quick thinking to do a local apparition and I'm sure the Order put the Death Eater initiation to rest and all but...what are we supposed to do?"

"Wish I could tell you but at this moment I know we're safe so the first thing that matters is resting up, for the both of us. However, you deflected the Killing Curse it left you nearly dead, Gods it was scary to see you like that," Draco's eyes widened considerably at the memory of it. Harry's sweating, shaking body in his hands as he saw the boy's face turn blank and his breathing slow. "Y'know, for a minute I thought the world was going to lose their Golden Boy,"

Harry rolled his eyes but he felt a smirk on his face, "Well I couldn't let you get hurt by the blast now could I? How would Slytherin survive without their Prince?" he teased, lightly shoving the blonde who forced the smile from his face, sliding over a mask.

"Looks like they are going to have to, at least until we find our way out of this mess. It's not like I'll be their high and mighty Prince any more,"

"Why? Just because you said no to Voldemort? I thought being a Slytherin was about cunning and manipulating others! Gods you're not a Death Eater but you're still a Malfoy," Harry joked, trying to lighten the mood as he didn't like to hear the sadness in Draco's voice as the blonde thought about his house mates.

"I guess you're right but, does that really matter right now? I think we've had enough talking for now, it is time for you to rest again Potter," Draco ordered gently, his eyes still not leaving the waters bank.

Harry laughed lightly, "Malfoy, your turn to sleep. I'll keep an eye out and also go searching for some kind of edible berries or something. Maybe I can stun a rabbit or a fox," he shrugged and then shivered at the thought of it. He was particularly hungry, his stomach growled.

" I reckon we will need to figure out an appropriate purification spell for water, too. That can come later. But as of tomorrow, we cannot camp here any longer," Draco said, standing up finally and stretching out his arms, his dirtied blouse raising up over his head revealing a small patch of pale, smooth torso that Harry blushed away from.

"Why not? I like it here. And if we stay put it's easier for the Order to find us," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Think about it Potter. If it will make the Order's job easier, do you not think it will make Voldemort's job easier, too? Only a fool would lie in wake, hoping it was his friends retrieved him first instead of his foes. Our best bet is to keep moving South, whichever way that is," Draco mumbled and rubbed his head, walking over to where Harry had discarded his cloak on the ground.

Silently Harry watched Draco as he laid to rest the same spot Harry had woken up from, pulling his own cloak close to him and quickly slipping into a slumber. Harry stayed unmoving for awhile until he brandished his wand from his pocket. " _Point Me_ ," he ordered it, thinking of North. The wand pulled towards the left side of Harry's body, just over the small creak of water. That meant that they had to walk in the opposite direction, Harry kept that in mind as he stood up to begin preparations for the day.

_'What's the most important thing, here?_ ' he asked himself, there was too much to think about all at once that survival instincts were being clouded. Harry kept yelling at his subconscious which was screaming back at him; ' _Where's Remus?! Is he okay? What about Voldemort...did anybody get hurt in the battle? Dose Lucius have some sort of tracking device on Draco...could Voldemort track me with our connection? Can I track him? Did I really deflect the Killing Curse?_ ' but he knew none of this was as important as the present situation. None of that mattered, not until he got out of this place alive.

Sighing, he stood up with his wand at the ready, he knew he'd be able to sense Voldemort if he came anywhere near but it wasn't the Dark Lord he was frightened of. It was unknown creatures, magical and not. Harry had no idea where he was, even though Draco had a general one it wasn't very helpful.

Harry found himself scouting the area, his eyes squinting beneath his rounded glasses. It felt like a good day; the sun was high up ahead now and beaming through the leaves of the trees, the ground was soft on Harry's feet and his head no longer hurt. He felt rather renewed from last nights experience's, although not mentally. "Alright, food," he decided. It was easier for him to concentrate on one thing at a time instead of being all over the place. What mattered first was survival, for him and Draco to get through that day together so they could start anew. Not to mention, to keep their energy high and alert, in case it was indeed their foes that found them first. 

So he wandered an hour North, passing many birds, foxes, rabbits and small streams of fish-filled water. He attempted to stupefy a couple of rabbits, but to no avail. Harry made his way back to 'home base' and checked in on Draco. The blonde Slytherin was still lying in the dirt, his platinum hair ruffled underneath his folded hands as he breathed deeply. Harry took a step closer at the sleeping beauty and blushed. ' _He looks...so peaceful_ ,' Harry thought to himself, staring for longer than he knew he should.

Finally tearing himself from Draco's sleeping body, Harry took an hours trip east and then west. On his trip an hour west, he perched himself in a squat leaning lightly against the base of a large tree trunk. "It is really beautiful out here," he said to himself, forgetting all of the many troubles he knew were more important than scenery. But somehow deep inside of him, he didn't seem more important. What seemed important was how lovely it looked wherever he was and how he had a sleeping Draco to return to.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw a small jack rabbit dart in behind a bush. His lips twitched up into a smirk at the brown creature, he could see its fluffed tail. The rabbit must be playing bait with another animal, or perhaps just playing by its lonesome. Whatever the jack rabbit was doing, Harry's immediate instinct was food. He had to have been out at least twelve hours and his stomach was retching at his insides, his protego had taken a lot more out of him than he had thought. 

With his wand pointed at the bush, the rabbit unaware of his presence merely ten feet away, Harry silently thought the word ' _Stupefy_ ' and a jet of light hit the rabbit. Before it could react, the creature fell over nearly lifeless to the forest floor. Harry quickly leapt over to it and picked it up by its tail. With a triumphant smile, he made his way back to camp.

Bypassing Draco, still fast asleep well past lunch hour, Harry sat down by the riverbank and smiled down at his catch. " _Avada Kedavra_ ," he whispered, and a small jet of green light emitted from his wand and struck the stunned rabbit, taking the life out of it. Harry didn't feel any remorse from this, his growling stomach told him not to. It wasn't like he was Voldemort...killing Muggles for the fun of it. He was Harry, killing animals for food for him and Draco...

_'Maybe Ron was right and you do have a hero complex. Look at how much you're trying to protect Malfoy,'_

_'Maybe you're just doing it because he protected you?'_

_'Well, technically...you protected HIM in the first place,'_

_'What else was I supposed to do?'_

_'I don't know, I'm just saying that maybe there's more to it than your little hero complex,'_

Harry scoffed at his inner voices, battling lightly with one another as he refused to turn his head around to look at that sleeping figure. He knew he'd be caught up in staring at him, his slowly breathing form and thinking about the absurdity of these circumstances. So instead he reached into his cloak and emptied its contents.

Ever since Voldemort's attacks were becoming more frequent, Harry carried with him rather necessary instruments. There were a couple Dark Detectors and Sensors, the Drought of Death potion corked in a small vial, and two vials of Pain Reliever Potion. On top of that, Harry pulled from his cloak a sheathed dagger about six inches long, he took it with him everywhere. Dumbledore had a theory that Voldemort couldn't be killed by Harry's wand, and so that's what the purpose of the dagger was.

Harry unsheathed the silver blade and without thought dug it into the belly of the rabbit. He sneered at the immediate smell of rotting flesh that hit his nose, dark blood seeped out from its soft fur and matted the forest floor. Swallowing down the vile in his throat, Harry ripped the knife upwards and slit all the way from pelvic bone to throat. It took him nearly an hour to properly remove the rabbits innards, which he dug a small hole by the river and buried there as they could be useful for bait later on. Harry cleaned the fur of the rabbit from all blood and sinew, he whipped it dry on a nearby tree until the sweat beaded from his forehead. He left it hanging off of a branch as he began to collect small sticks from the surrounding area into a small tepeed circle not far from the water.

Once thoroughly satisfied, and exhausted, Harry took the rabbit fur and rubbed it between his fingers. ' _It's so soft...natural..._ ' he thought eerily to himself. His emerald eyes widened considerably. ' _I just killed a jack rabbit, ripped out its guts, and now I'm playing with its fur like it's nothing? That's gotta be weird on some kind of scale..._ ' he groaned to himself, how could things get any stranger at this point? What other option did he have to take? Suddenly leaving Draco to fend for himself wherever he was.

That simply was the worst option of all. At least Draco generally knew where they were, unlike Harry, and with the two of them lost together in the woods then they could take shifts sleeping instead of getting mauled by werewolves or Death Eaters overnight. Harry sighed heavily and found himself walking over toward Draco, still clutching onto the rabbit hyde. He crouched down beside the boy and gently reached out to touch the side of his face. It felt so smooth despite the smudges of dirt on it. Harry lifted up Draco's head as slowly and softly as he could before slipping the rabbit fur beneath the side of his face, replacing where his hands had been. Taking a step back, Harry looked at Draco who snuggled peacefully against the fur, unconsciously enjoying the comfort. Harry smiled at the thought that Draco liked it, and as the blonde slowly blinked himself into consciousness he awoke to a certain brunette hovering over him with a goofy smile.

"P-Potter?" Draco stumbled, slowly sitting up and stretching his arms out to his side. Harry was blushing now, looking away and off into the distance with his hands in his pockets. Draco felt something soft and furry on his hand leaning on the ground, he glanced down at the rabbit fur and raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that?" he asked dryly.

"Erm, well...you see...I had a lot of time when you were sleeping so I kinda...scouted out the place. Nothing interesting, nothing around for miles. Just trees, water, animals. It's quite beautiful really...and I kinda killed a jack rabbit...erm, thought we could..."

"Food! We have food? Oh I don't care what we eat, as long as it's food! And the hyde is much more comfortable than the ground. Thanks, Potter," Draco said sincerely, though his excitement from the mere mention of food didn't die down.

"You're actually gonna eat that rabbit?"

"Well, aren't you? Is that not why you killed it?" Draco countered, standing up slowly and scooping up his cloak and the rabbit hyde.

"Yeah, but erm...I thought you'd be too...I dunno..."

"Potter," Draco began seriously, "We are Merlin knows where and we haven't a clue how far we are from any form of civilization; Muggle or Wizard alike. Do you expect me to starve myself because of Malfoy pride or something? At this point I will eat what I can and sleep on what I can, do you not think this is our best bet?"

"Er, I guess so," Harry slowly nodded in agreement. "I've got a fire pile ready, just needs to be ignited,"

"Perfect. I thought we should take an inventory of the things we have as well, maybe they could have extra uses. And then, I do believe we should decide on a game plan tonight. Which direction to head, how far to walk each day. We do not want ourselves completely worn out in case Voldemort does end up finding us,"

"Y-Yeah you're right," Harry said with a slight nod, ' _When had Draco become so assertive and direct? Or was he always like this?_ ' he thought quietly to himself, thankful that at least the blonde had some idea on where they should take themselves from there. "I still can't believe we're even in this situation," Harry muttered.

Draco sighed heavily, he began to stride lazily away toward the creak, "Me neither Potter, me neither,"

"But I'm glad that I'm not alone," Harry admitted with a slight blush, _'Why are you blushing?! It's only Malfoy and it's only the truth,_ ' he chided himself inwardly.

"Me too," Draco said blankly, but if he had been facing Harry the Gryffindor would have seen a small upturn of Draco's lips into a pleasant, genuine smile.

* * *

 

_Buzzard's breath the rooster moans_

_Stow it boy you're far from home_

_Stow your sorrows stow your fear_

_What'd you do to end up here_

_End up on the devil's rusty train?_


	3. Morning

_Hard light, take the wings of the winter_

_Song bird, they were strong hands that held her_

_Miles above the ground, we can't see you now._

* * *

 

It was an early morning start for the two of them. Once again they had taken shifts sleeping under starlight after they ate the tough meat Harry had caught for them. As they started Southwards, the sun was barely coming up. With their wands at the ready, each with a Dark Detector in their pocket just in case, they walked silently through the brush and the only sound was their breathing and the crackle of dry twigs beneath their feet.

Their game plan had been to make at least a few miles of progress everyday without totally wearing themselves out, always walking Southwards of course as that was the general direction of Hogwarts. Or so they believed. At this point they didn't care where they ended up, however, even if it were London it'd be better than lost and alone. They would rest every night somewhere different, always near a source of water. They used simple 'Scourgify' charms on the water and themselves to stay clean and sanitary, both slightly fearing any sorts of disease from the wilderness and it really wouldn't do them any good to fall ill, even in the slightest.

Harry couldn't help but admit to himself that he was rather enjoying the outdoors after being cooped up constantly; Dumbledore had been afraid that people would start accosting Harry and selling him to the Dark Lord. ' _Well he did have a point didn't he? Look at what that bastard Nott did...this is all his fault_ ,' Harry snarled at the ground, causing Draco to look over bemusedly at him.

"Can't we just apparate home?" Harry grumbled suddenly.

"Potter even you cannot be that daft. Home is so far away and neither of us is that talented at apparition. We would easily splinch ourselves,"

"Fine. Can't we apparate out of here at least?"

"We have no idea how big this forest is or what is waiting for us on the other side...so once again, if we are not splinched we could be ambushed and murdered brutally. Really. Great plan," Draco drawled with amusement, ignoring Harry's low throat grumble. "So, what does Voldemort want with you anyway, Potter?" he asked, his hands in his pockets with his fingers idly stroking his wand.

Harry stiffened immediately, his face went cold and he looked forward through the trees ahead of them. "Tell me about Lucius and then I'll tell you that," he cornered sharply. ' _Does he expect me to spill my guts to him just because I helped him? For all I know this could be some idiotic trap..._ '

"What about my Father?"

"Everything. Why he's a complete ignorant prick," Harry grumbled angrily, just thinking of the white-faced man churned his stomach.

"There is finally something we can agree upon," Draco drawled with a smirk, and Harry felt his mouth drop open in surprise but before he could ask the boy began to talk, "When I was growing up, he tended to be gone for business most of the time. Yet, when my Mother and I were graced with his holy presence he was always teaching us a lesson. Something vital to the Malfoy bloodline, something so utterly important to the fate of all Wizard and Witches alike. I grew up in a home where the most important thing was the survival of all purebloods, and I never quite understood why though I just accepted it naturally. You see it was so much easier to believe everything that man told me than to actually think for myself," Draco sighed and kicked the dirt.

"Lucius is a man based on pride, class and honour. But when I first saw him bow down to Voldemort last Christmas I knew instantaneously that whatever was happening was the least bit honourable. There he was, my Father, bowing down and completing every whim of a raving lunatic. I thought it to be imbocilic just like this entire War. Does Voldemort actually think he is going to wipe out all of the Muggles in the world? I am highly doubtful of that since there is many more of them than there are of us," Draco snorted now, shaking his head allowing for strands of blonde hair to fall in front of his eyes, "I honestly cannot tell you much about Lucius because I honestly don't know too much more than that," 

Harry nodded grimly, his eyes darting around every tree they passed in attempt to cover the entire area they walked through with surveilance - just in case a rouge Death Eater (or a whole slew of them) were in the waiting. "So you've really gone and disowned yourself, haven't you?" Harry asked out loud with curiousity, without any intention of trying to be rude.

"Well when you put it like that Potter, I guess your right," Draco snapped heatedly.

"Sorry I didn't mean it...I just...er...like -"

"Potter, stop it. You sound like a common Hufflepuff," Draco teased which earned him a swift elbow in the side of his ribs, a hand shot from his pocket as he rubbed the now tender spot with a pout on his face. "Hey...that wasn't so nice!"

"Yeah well don't call me a Hufflepuff you wanker," Harry smirked playfully.

"Now will you tell me about Voldemort? Why he's got an obsession with you that has been delaying this War for Merlin knows how long?" he questioned.

Harry swallowed heavily, ' _Urgh...here I am, sharing all my deepest darkest secrets with Draco Malfoy.._.', "There's this prophecy, you see. It says that neither Voldemort or I can live while the other survives. So that means that one of us has to kill the other, and only we have the power to kill each other. I know that sounds really messed up and muddled but yeah...that's how it goes. That's why I was kept in a safe house until I reached eleven and could go to Hogwarts," Harry sneered at thinking about this 'safe house', the one he would hopefully never have to return to again. 

"So that's why Voldemort tried to kill you when you were younger?" Draco asked, a slight hint of disgust in his voice.

"Not at all. He tried to kill me because my parents refused to join him and they were quite powerful so he wanted them in his inner circle, much like your Dad. My 'rents were part of the Order of the Pheonix and Merlin First Class. Of course they denied him, and that's how they died. He wanted me dead, too, considering I was their kid. Not only until last year did he know why I hadn't been able to die...because the Prophecy needed to be fufilled," Harry shrugged, trying very hard to focus on his surroundings instead of Draco's intense gaze coming from beside him.

"That is around the time Fudge admitted the awareness of Voldemort's return," Draco began slowly, hearing a positive agreement from Harry's throat, "And that means that..."

"He got ahold of the Prophecy that night, and that's how Fudge knew he'd returned..."

Draco looked at Harry with a deep calculating look. ' _No wonder he's so moody all the time...Gods, and to think I was being such an arsehole to him too,_ ' "Everybody at Hogwarts has seen your powerful. I mean, all those bratty outbursts you have had," Draco ignored the scuff from Harry, "But still...everybody just expects you to go out and kill the Darkest Lord of all time? How can you live like that, having all of that on your shoulders? I mean...if I were you, I would be so paranoid all of the time!" Draco admitted, surprising himself moreso with his words.

Harry shrugged, "You learn to live with it, really. And thanks for the vote of confidence," he clipped.

"Hey, I'm not saying you can't do it. But it seems as though Dumbledore, the old coon, expects you to do it  _alone_ ,"

"No," Harry said abruptly and with finality, he had stopped walking and had a disheveled look on his face. " _I_  expect myself to do it all alone,"

"W-why?" Draco stammered, he felt the anger radiating off of Harry and silently feared on of those tempermental tantrums of magical energy he had mentioned earlier.

"Because, Malfoy, I can't stand anybody else getting in the way again! What if somebody else dies? Do you think I could live with that?! So many people have died already and it's my fault, alright?! I have to do this alone because if I don't..." he trailed off and took a deep, shakey breath attempting to collect himself.

"Potter..."

"What?" Harry quickly snapped, he looked up with stormy emerald eyes and Draco looked back with uncertain silver ones.

"I-I just wanted to say I am sorry," he began softly, causing Harry to immediately slacken up and blush.

"What for?" he whispered. 

"For everything. For you having to live with that weight, having to do all that you do, and for being a total prat all these six years ontop of that. Really, you're not a bad person or anything I just hated you because you always got what I wanted - the attention. Now I see how trivial a thing that is," Draco sneered at himself, "And I am mostly sorry for getting us bleeding lost in the middle of nowhere faraway from home," 

Harry was blushing and playing with the dirt on his shoe, his eyes averted completely from Draco now, "Er...thank you," he countered unsurely.

Draco merely tilted his head and then turned from Harry, starting to walk South once again. Harry quickly followed after him, allowing the much needed silence to wash over them.

* * *

 

Ron held Hermione tightly in his arms, neither cared what any of the Professor's said about their close contact at the moment because they both needed it. They were currently seated in Professor Dumbledore's office, Remus was pacing back and forth looking anxious and worried. Snape was snarling from the corner by the mantleplace, and Dumbledore was looking sadly at the two Gryffindors.

"The story as we have it from the captured Death Eaters goes like this," Dumbledore began with a strained voice, neither of his two students had ever seen him looking so distraught, "Remus, would you care to begin before your Transformation took place?"

The werewolf, looking much better than he had a couple of hours ago thanks to Madame Pomfrey, nodded slowly. "W-we were catching up, eating lunch at The Three Broomsticks. Harry wanted to go even further into advanced Defence training, and as you two know he has already been recieving extensive lessons on many subjects. I was worried he was working himself thin...well, neither here nor there," he sighed, "When we left, Theodore Nott grabbed ahold of Harry, who grabbed ahold of me, and the three of us were Portkeyed to the Nagril Forest. It's pretty far North of here, and it is the largest forest in the country. With very extensive lands, quite easy to get lost in, I must say its a wonder that..." Remus was abruptly cut off by Dumbledore's knowing cough, he nodded again and continued, "Anyway. We arrived amongst a circle of Death Eaters and Voldemort. It went blurry for me from there," he creased his eyebrows.

"It appears that Voldemort requested one of his soon-to-be-followers to torture Harry with the means of the Cruciatus Curse. The follower refused, Potter unwittingly stood up for him and dueled with Voldemort very briefly. The Dark Lord threw the Killing Curse at Potter who deflected it, and then the one who defied the Dark Lord apparated them out of there. That was the last that was heard or seen of them. There is a large search party that started at the Death Eater camp and went outward in all directions trying to find the two of them, but no such luck yet. They could have gone anywhere in the entire world," Snape finished with a small hiss of annoyance. It wasn't Potter he cared about, but the other one that was missing he cared quite a lot about. For his mother was being driven with worry and fear back at the Malfoy Manor.

Hermione was biting her lip as hard as possible, she felt tears silently flow down her cheeks and she finally broke down into a sob, flinging her head into Ron's chest and crying there. Dumbledore looked sadly on at the situation as Severus scoffed. "Sir...but who was this...other person?" Ron asked carefully, refusing to cry in front of Professor Snape.

"Ah, the one who defied the Dark Lord and very promptly saved Harry from certain death was Draco Malfoy," Dumbledore answered, watching the uneasy look come across Ron's face as Hermione immediately stopped crying and her head snapped up.

"Malfoy? He was the one that apparated away with Harry?" she asked slowly, recieving nods from all three of her Professor's the two Gryffindor's faces went blank with more fear than before.

"He's killed him. He most certainly has killed him...for Merlin's fucking sake, why did Harry stick up for him?! Malfoy's probably gone and..."

"I can assure you that Mr Malfoy most definitely denied the Dark Mark and did everything but spit in the Dark Lord's face. It seems as though he does not follow in the path of his Father and the only thing keeping him alive was Potter...Draco is not stupid enough to kill the only thing that can save him," Snape sneered hotly, his fists clenched by his side as he glared daggers at the redhead who glared back.

"What are we going to do, sir? Tell us and we'll help anyway we can," Ron said hurriedly, turning his attention back to the Headmaster who smiled sadly.

"I am afraid that the best thing for you two to do is keep this quiet for the time being, we cannot have panic. I will make a sufficient excuse as to why Harry and Mr Malfoy have disappeared mid-term, but rest assure that we are doing all we can. Actually..." Dumbledore interupted himself, a train of thought gave birth in his head, "There is a very complicated locator's spell we could perform. It takes at least one month of preperation and an object that is tied not only to the one whom we are trying to find but also the one doing the finding," he said eerily, then looked at the two students. "Do the two of you have any item that is connected to both you and Harry?"

Ron and Hermione seemed to think for a moment before they both shook their heads sadly. "Albus, they might not have something but I certainly do," Remus said as all eyes turned curiously on him as he smirked now.

"Do you? And it is tied to both you and Mr Potter?"

"The only problem is...I have no idea where it is...Hermione? Ron?" Remus turned to them with a mysterious glint in his eyes, both of the Gryffindor's immediately understood what he meant and bolted up from their chairs and towards the Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

 

_Morning took the reins from the rider_

_Strong hands on the lap behind her_

_They tear her nightgown, we can't see you now._


	4. Passing Afternoon

_There are times that walk from you like some passing afternoon_

_Summer warmed the open window of her honeymoon_

_And she chose a yard to burn but the ground remembers her_

_Wooden spoons, her children stir her Bougainvillea blooms._

_There are things that drift away like our endless, numbered days_

_Autumn blew the quilt right off the perfect bed she made_

_And she's chosen to believe in the hymns her mother sings_

_Sunday pulls its children from their piles of fallen leaves._

_There are sailing ships that pass all our bodies in the grass_

_Springtime calls her children 'till she let's them go at last_

_And she's chosen where to be, though she's lost her wedding ring_

_Somewhere near her misplaced jar of Bougainvillea seeds._

* * *

 

Harry and Draco were huddled beneath their cloaks, holding the fabric as close to them as possible. With their wretched luck, it was a downpour on the entire forest at the moment and under Harry's protective shield and Draco's warming charms it was still bloody freezing cold and their arses were getting wet from the muddy ground. When they would shiver and accidentally bump shoulders, both would apologize and look away blushing lightly. Harry nor Draco could explain exactly why this happened, but it just did naturally. It was unnerving, to say the least, they felt on thumb tacks around one another.

"Don't think we'll be getting much sleep for awhile in this," Harry grumbled, finally breaking the silence.

"And if there is anybody looking for us...I doubt they will get anywhere in this weather," Draco snarled uneasily, he hated the rain, absolutely despised it. But for some reason, being this close to Harry made the rain seem so much lighter.

The silence came back, making them both uneasy. "Do you think that they will excuse us from our exams?" Draco finally asked.

Harry turned to his companion with a dumfounded expression, "Malfoy, we have no idea where we are. We have no idea if we are ever going to get  _out_  of where we are," he said increduously, the blonde was giving him a 'So-What?' look, "...and you're worried about whether or not we'll get excused from exams in a month!"

"Well, yes Potter, I need to make sure that I get absolutely premium on my NEWTs next year. I must get into Advanced Potions and most unfortunately Advanced Dark Arts as well," Draco cringed at the last subject.

"You're unbelievable," Harry muttered, his mouth still open in surprise. ' _Merlin's hell, he reminds me of Hermione...thinking about school at a time like this!_ '

"Does it honestly hurt to have some ambition, Potter?"

"Hey," Harry snarled suddenly getting defensive, "I've got ambition but it's about much more important things than how well I do at the end of the year or who gets the blasted Quidditch Cup,"

"Well what is it then? What is the  _Great_  Harry Potter so ambitious about, hmm?" Draco urged on, he couldn't stand the silences that lapsed between them any longer and he wasn't finding it terribly difficult to converse with Potter either - which may have come as a surprise to him if not given the particular situation.

"Why in the hell should I tell you?" Harry snapped, he didn't like talking about this as he crossed his arms stubbornly. It was as if he were back at school being heckled by his friends, wondering what courses he would take. But they didn't get it, none of that mattered because he knew he most likely would never see the end of his days at Hogwarts before his days saw their own end...

"Well  _I_  want to be a Professor, and not at some rubbish school like Hogwarts. Maybe across seas in Italy or America," Draco smiled at the thought of it, Harry watched with curiousity as the blonde seemed to float away into a slight dreamland.

"Don't you have enough money from your Father to, I dunno, just live off of it the rest of your life?"

Draco sneered, "You think my Father is going to give me any money now? Hah, that is certainly a rich thought,"

"Oh...sorry..." Harry whispered, slightly embarassed for having even brought it up. ' _Well duh, the boy just completely disowned himself from his family in front of Voldemort and a bunch of crazy Death Eaters! And if I know Lucius Malfoy, well...he ain't gonna be happy about that! He wanted me dead when I took away his House Elf, imagine him now, with me having taken his son!_ '

"What about you, Potter? Got any plans? Going to be the next Quidditch Seeker superstar?" the blonde teased, attempting to lighten the situation but he seemed to only make it worse.

Harry was now staring idly down at his lap with an unreadable expression, "I haven't thought about it," he mumbled.

"And why is that? We have only got one year left at Hogwarts,"

"I know but...I just haven't thought about it," Harry shrugged.

"C'mon, Potter, you have -"

"I haven't thought about it Malfoy because what is there to think about?! My whole life has been chosen for me already and for fucks sake everybody knows that the particular life I lead isn't going to last till graduation!" Harry snapped angrily now, his eyes were staring holes into his hands that were clenched tightly around one another. He was shaking now, and both boys knew it wasn't from the cold.

Draco took a deep breath, he didn't want Harry's magic lashing out at them accidentally especially since it was the brunette's shield that kept them warm and dry from the heavy rain. "Potter, I do not believe that to be the case. All of the Death Eater's are blinded by superficial powers the Dark Lord has. I have seen you grow up over the past six years and I know the real power you possess, and it frightens me. The Dark Lord cannot frighten me, he is only a sick and twisted man with too much time on his hands in my opinion. In honesty, he won't stand a chance," Draco said with confidence and assurance.

Harry's mouth dropped open and closed again, nobody had ever said something to that effect to him. Of course many people, mostly those from the Order, have promised him that he would win against the fight with Voldemort but nobody said it like they actually understood it. "I-uh-it's just...erm..."

"I have faith in you," Draco said softly, looking out through their shield into the falling rain forming puddles all around them. Before Harry could respond, the blonde continued talking, "So since you have never given it a thought, I do believe now is the perfect time to do so, is it not?"

"Uhm..yeah, I guess...I think I'd like to be an Auror, but really...I dunno, maybe just stay at home? I-I have a house and all, but it'd get awfully lonely there," Harry sighed heavily, thinking about Twelve Grimmauld Place always brought flashes of Sirius' face to his mind.

"You have a house? Where?" 

"It's not really mine, I just inherited it unrightfully. It's probably more yours than mine, considering it is the Noble House of Black,"

"You live  _there_? Oh, Merlin, that place gives me the creeps! I hate it there, I hate Mrs Black and that crooked House Elf. Urgh, how can you stand sleeping in that wretched excuse for a house?" Draco shivered at the thought of its disdainfully grey walls and morbid feeling.

"I've slept in worse places, s'all I have to say 'bout that," Harry mumbled, briefly recalling The Dursleys before quickly pushing them from his mind. They were quite far from where he currently was, no reason to give those bastards a second thought.

"So how did you inherit that House? I was expecting to recieve it once Sirius Black was murdered but heard no news whatsoever, which greatly surprised my Mother and I," Draco admitted.

"Er, well...I'm kinda Sirius Black's Godson so he gave it to me in his will,"

"Your...wow, Potter, you are just full of surprises aren't you?" Draco whispered, trying to wrap his head around that last little fact. The same Sirius Black, whom the Slytherin knew wasn't the murderer everybody thought him to be, was apparantly Harry Potter's Godfather. The world had a strange way of twisting fate, he decided at that moment. "And I am truly sorry,"

"What for?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrow.

"For your lose. I mean, Sirius Black died last year so I am truly sorry for that. It must be hard to be in that house after all of that. But if you are going to lonely there, why don't you just get Granger and the Weasel to live with you? Or maybe your family, whoever you lived with before Hogwarts?"

"Don't call Ron that," Harry quickly quipped before leaning against the tree they were sitting cross-legged underneath, "And I refuse to call those...Muggles...my family, even though they are related to me. They're straight bastards is what they are and no I don't want to talk about it so don't even begin asking," he snarled quickly just as Draco was opening his mouth, who promptly closed it. "Plus, I'm guessing Hermione and Ron'll move in together when they're out of school. Even if they don't know it yet, they're totally mad for one another. If they're not fighting, they're making lovesick puppy eyes,"

"Do not make me throw up that rabbit, Potter," Draco groaned, pushing images of two Gryffindor's as faraway from his head as possible, "How do you stand those two? You are obviously fit for much better company than those nitwits,"

"Hey! They're not nitwits! Hermione's the smartest witch Hogwarts has ever seen in awhile!" Harry defended quickly.

"She is all booksmart, Potter. No common sense whatsoever, and look at the Weasel...sorry,  _Weasley_ , he has all common sense and no book knowledge! You, however, are a perfect mix of both. You can exceed tremendously if you try in school, and you know enough about the real world to be well rounded," Draco explained, ignoring Harry's rather flushed look.

"Erm...thanks? I think? How come you notice so much about us?"

"I spent six years trying to make your life hell and do not try and tell me you did not try doing the same to me. You know things about me too, Potter, and it would surprise you just how much," Draco's smile became an amused smirk now, which unnerved the other boy.

"Well, uhm...how come you stick around goons like Crabbe and Goyle then? Your certainly a lot quicker than they are," Harry wanted desperately for the subject of conversation to change from him and revert to Draco.

"I am pretty sure everybody is quicker than they are. I only stick with them because they are loyal as hell and still know how to play dirty, which is quite useful might I say,"

"Hmm...figures that's how you choose your friends,"

"I did not  _choose_  my friends, Potter, I just have them," Draco replied gently, making Harry blink once and then twice again.

' _Wow...Malfoy actually sounds not only sincere, but realistic and intelligent_ ,' he thought to himself before shaking out of his stupor. They sat in another uncomfortable silence before Draco brought up something Harry most definitely wished he hadn't.

"I know what happened last year at the Department of Mysteries, my Father told me everything," he began gently, feeling the boy beside him immediately tense, "But I have no clue what happened back during the Triwizard Tournament. What happened to Diggory?" Draco's voice was low now, quiet and hardly audible against the patter of rain on the ground.

"Ced-he...Why do you want to know?" Harry asked uneasily, he wasn't exactly used to talking about the Triwizard Tournament anymore, most people had put that out of their minds at least a year ago.

"I just want to know if it was Voldemort that did it," he answered truthfully.

"We had Portkeyed there and almost as soon as we landed, Voldemort ordered Wormtail to kill him," Harry sighed heavily, pushing all memories from his mind that threatened to resurface.

"And that's the night Voldemort resurfaced...using your blood?"

"How did you know that?" Harry's tone was unreadable as he turned towards Draco now, the blonde looking now into two orbs of startled emerald.

"M-my Father," he admitted with a tint of pink on his cheeks, for some reason as Harry looked directly at him this close to his face Draco couldn't help but feel nervous in the best possbile way.

The blush didn't go unnoticed to Harry, as he felt his cheeks warm he quickly turned away to look outwards into the rain again. "Can we just not talk about Cedric? Please, Malfoy?"

"Of course, I apologize," Draco said sincerely, regaining himself as he poked his hand outside of the protective charm and into the rain. He let the water fall on his hand, it felt relaxing and oddly enough the rain didn't make him any colder than he already was.

"Tell me more about Lucius," Harry finally broke the silence.

"Potter, I told you everything. Seriously. All I can say more is that he was more of a Father than ever a Dad," Draco shrugged, seemingly unaffected by this, "Why are you so obsessed with him anyway?"

"Because sometimes I can't decide who I hate more; Tom Riddle, Lucius Malfoy or Peter Pettigrew," Harry spat the names as if they were venomous themselves as Draco nodded understandingly beside him.

"I cannot tell you more about Lucius, but I can tell you more about my Mother if you would like?" the blonde offered. Harry merely shrugged non-committally. 

"I fear there's not much to say about her either. She loved me as much as a Mother could in her situation. Lucius had the House Elves constantly watching both of us, making sure we never went against his wishes. If we ever did, well you have got to know him well enough to know what came after disobeying him. There is a problem with Narcissa, however, it is that she does not fear Lucius whatsoever and in my opinion that is a fault. She blatantly stands up to him and it is going to put her in the ground sooner than later. In her growing age she is becoming more rebellious and disrespectful of his decisions and wishes.

"You see, Potter, my Mother did not ever want to be affiliated with the Dark Lord. Her, like myself, did not believe that this entire war held any meaning whatsoever and wished to be in the grey area of it all. We were not so lucky, had I been the Head of the Malfoy Estate things would have been kept much cleaner than they are now. I have no doubt that there is a scandal going on with my family and the newspapers are most doubtfully keeping their noses out of it. We are one of the last pureblood elite families left in this world, and my Father is throwing away all our kept values by grovelling at a madman's feet. My Mother is not happy about that, but she attempts to keep her sanity by staying as faraway from my Father's affairs as possible," Draco sighed with a twisted smile on his face, it felt really good to get all of that off of his chest, for he rarely talked about those such matters with anybody else save for formal meetings with his Mother or Severus Snape.

Harry seemed to be thinking through all of what Draco said, taking it more seriously whereas if a month ago he was told this story he would've responded 'Stop whining, you poof,' But now he knew just how deep Malfoy was into all of this, and through-out his six years at Hogwarts the boy was just trying to get by and survive anyway he could - just like Harry.

"You said that Narcissa has a problem because she disobeys Lucius...but don't you disobey him too? You did just stand up in front of his colleagues and master and basically spat in the Dark Lord's face...I'm pretty sure that's along the same lines as 'disrespecting' him, no offence," Harry added in quickly, not wanting their conversation to suddenly turned heated because of a simple misunderstanding.

"You do have a point there, Potter," Draco chuckled lightly to himself, "But that was more of a spur in the moment type of thing. It has been my Mother's goal to disobey Lucius,"

"Who can blame her?" Harry muttered, making Draco's smirk widen ever so slightly.

"It does not seem as though the rain will be letting up any time soon, you should get some sleep and I will put my own charm in place to keep us dry," he said softly, changing the subject. 

"I'm not feeling all too tired yet, you can sleep first tonight," Harry offered, telling the truth. He found the rain soothing and wanted to mull his thoughts with it, and for once he had the urge to sit beside sleeping Draco whilst watching the sun which would come up in however many hours.

"Thanks...and thanks for letting me talk, too,"

"I was the one who asked you to, wasn't I?" Harry raised an eyebrow as Draco pulled his cloak tighter around him and pulled out the rabbit hyde he had kept folded in his pocket.

"Yes but I think I needed it more than you did," Draco settled himself on the ground, curled into the fetal position with his head on the rabbit fur as he fluttered his eyes shut. "Goodnight, Potter,"

"Night," Harry responded, unable to take his eyes off the resting Slytherin. It didn't take long for Draco to fall into a deep slumber, despite the heavy rain outside of Harry's protective charm. It was hard to allow his thoughts to dissolve as he stared at the sleeping blonde, as his chest rose rhythmically to his breathing. Draco looked rather peaceful when he slept, curled up into a small fragile ball. He looked harmless, and like a soft angel made of perfected porcelain. Sometimes he murmured incoherently in his sleep, or perhaps let out a muffled giggle of joy from dreamland, and Harry couldn't help but smile. 

It was early the next morning when Harry woke up with the sun shining on his face. He felt dry but could immediately tell he was without company. Draco hadn't slept for too long the previous night before Harry was given his chance to rest up, but he found that sleeping on the uncomfortable ground never granted for a full nights rest.

Stretching and standing up, shaking out his stiff limbs, Harry glanced around and couldn't see any sight of blinding platinum hair anywhere. He shrugged it off, he was probably just surveying the perimeters or something.

And then Harry heard a frustrated, low but loud growl emitting from the East. Thinking the worst possible scenario, Harry took his wand out and began to run in the direction of the sound. When he got there, however, it wasn't what he expected to find. He had expected to find Death Eaters surrounding Draco with all of their wands out stretched. Instead he found Draco shirtless with his pants rolled up to his knees, his patched bleach hair on his legs were soaked with the clear river water as his socks were balled up in his shoes.

Harry blinked a couple of times before grinning at the scene, the blonde was growling frustratingly as he held a long stick in his hand. He thrust the stick down into the water and it stuck straight upwards, stabbed into the dirt. As Draco lifted it, the end was empty.

Harry stepped forward as he slipped off his cloak and began to kick off his shoes with a smirk, "Having trouble fishing?" he asked, startling the blonde who turned towards him with his tongue stuck out making Harry chuckle.

"They are simply too quick to hex and too bleeding quick to stab, too! Gah, and I am  _hungry_  Potter!" he whined, looking up at the brunette with a frustrated glare, clenching the stick in his fist.

Laughing, Harry bent down to take out his knife from his cloak before unsheathing it and stepping into the brisk water with a slight shiver. If he wasn't awake now, the rapids about his ankles definitely woke him up.

"Let me see that," he said softly, motioning towards the stick which Draco handed to him.

"Fine, but I doubt you will have much more luck than I did," Draco grumbled but obligingly handed over the stick and retreated onto the moist dirt and sat promptly on top of Harry's cloak, laying by the river's edge.

Harry lifted up the end of the stick and with the sharp edge of his knife began to whiddle away at it, the shavings fell into the river. Draco was silent as he watched Harry expertly sharpen the edge of the stick, Harry concentrated on what he was doing and the moving waters around him. When he was finished, he quickly drew back his shoulder and launched the stick diagonally forth into the dirt next to Draco. The blonde rolled his eyes exasperatingly, crossing his arms tautly across his naked chest. "Okay, now that it's actually ready to kill something..." Harry teased, "All you gotta do is wait, watch and be quiet. Come back in, you do it and I'll watch," he smiled encouragingly as Draco grumbled but complied.

As he stood up, Harry's eyes went wide as he looked over the boy sauntering towards him and back into the water beside him. His chest seemed so smooth, white like paper and it glistened too perfectly against the morning sunlight. "Er...aren't you happy the rain is gone?" Harry stuttered, averting his gaze down to the water as he handed the stick to Draco.

"I thought we were supposed to be quiet, Potter," Draco responded pointedly, Harry merely blushed and stood stalk still, forcing himself not to look at the person standing half-naked beside him.

It was only ten minutes later that Draco's thin arm drew back quickly and snapped forward, the stick thrust harshly down into the water. As he picked it up, he held a triumphant smile on his face. A small fish, maybe only nine inches long, was skewered on the end of it.

"See, told you that you could do it,"

"Shove off Potter! Now gut this thing so we can eat!" Draco demanded.

Harry couldn't wipe the radiant smile off his face.

* * *

 

_There are things we can't recall, blind as night that finds us all_

_Winter tucks her children in, her fragile china dolls_

_But my hands remember hers, rolling 'round the shaded ferns_

_Naked arms, her secrets still like songs I've never learned._

_There are names across the sea, only now I do believe_

_Sometimes, with the windows closed, she'll sit and think of me._

_But she'll mend his tattered clothes and they'll kiss as if they know_

_A baby sleeps in all our bones, so scared to be alone._


	5. Sacred Vision

_There's no way to temper your thirst_

_With lasting impressions or pictures of home_

_There's no way to grow that don't hurt_

_She growled from the station then hung up the phone._

_There's no sacred vision like her_

_No eye-crushing mountain or jewelry to wear_

_There's no granted wish I prefer_

_Then she to be with me, for us to be there_

* * *

 

It was early June as Hermione banged on the Sixth Year Boys Dormitory door, she couldn't go inside for it was against the rules but Ron still hadn't come down to goto breakfast. Grumbling, she screeched on the other side of the wooden door, "Ronald Weasley, get out here right this instance!"

She heard groaning from the otherside and smiled smugly, moments later she was joined by a rather dreary looking redhead who leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek, as had been custom 'hellos' for them for weeks now. "Sorry 'bout that, I was just getting dressed," he held out his arm for the bushy-haired girl who took it and they began to descend down the staircase together.

"It's Sunday, isn't it?" Ron asked with a strained voice as they came into the Great Hall and walked towards the Gryffindor Table.

"Yes, why?"

"That means we've gotta go help Snape," he groaned, plopping down nearing the end of the Table so the two could have thier privacy. Ever since Harry's disappearance a week ago, the two spent most of their time alone and away from everybody else - avoiding the questions they didn't have answers to.

"Ronald, you say that like it is a bad thing! Helping  _Professor_  Snape means we get to help Harry, too! The quicker we finish the potion, the quicker he's home,"

"And Malfoy too, what was that prat thinking anyway? Apparating out of there like that? And why haven't they apparated back?" Ron snapped coldly, stabbing his fork into the sausages he just loaded on his plate.

"It's not that simple," Hermione scolded, placing her own breakfast on her plate, "If they are lost then chosing apparation as a technique to get home would most likely prove fatal. They would splinch themselves, and Harry hasn't an idea how to apparate only Malfoy so that's even more difficult a task; Side-Along Apparation should never be done over great distances,"

"Well that means that they're still in the Nagril Forest, why haven't the search party found them yet? And why've they given up?" Ron grumbled, he had been frustrated ever since his disappearance.

"They haven't given up, they've just gone out a mile each way from the Death Eater camp in the forest the moment they had the situation under control. That means that they apparated elsewhere, or perhaps deeper into the forest. The Aurors did the best scope they could of the area, but it's a rather large area. Our best chance is this Locator's Potion, so if that means helping Professor Snape then we'll do it," Hermione hissed with finality, not wanting to think about the particular brunette and his current situation, she concentrated on her breakfast.

Ron grumbled to himself before doing the same, but his thoughts never strayed far from his missing best friend.

After breakfast, the two made it down towards the dungeons arm-in-arm, but quietly with their faces stern.

"Oi! Granger! Weasley!" came the familiar call, the two stopped walking and turned around to face a small group of Slytherins.

It was Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle who approached them with all their arms crossed across their chest. "Can we help you?" Hermione asked unsurely, without Draco or Harry being around the two Houses hadn't clashed or spoken to each other whatsoever.

"Where's Malfoy?" hissed Pansy, stepping forward from the group of four as she withdrew her wand, but her hand shook as she spoke.

"Why the hell would we know?" Ron growled, clenching his fists as he kept his hand by his pocket with his own wand in it.

"Because Potter's missing too, put two-and-two together," Blaise drawled from behind his housemate. Ron shot them all scathing looks.

"We haven't a clue where Malfoy is because we have no idea where Harry is, either," Hermione answered sourly, her grip around Ron's arm tightening as the four Slytherin's sneered at them.

"Now if you'd kindly piss off," Ron snapped, before whirling Hermione around and stalking further down into the dungeons leaving the Slytherins thinking in their wake.

"That wasn't very nice," Hermione said lightly.

"You know just as well as me that they wouldn't have left us alone, they'd want to know anything about where their Prince is and I'm not about to jump in and tell them bugger all. They're Slytherin's, they can't be trusted, they could all know about what happened and be playing dumb,"

"I-I don't know, they're Malfoy's friends. If they knew where he was, don't you think they would want to help bring him home?"

"Are you kidding me? 'Mione, they're Slytherins! All they care about is their own skin," Ron snarled, dragging the bushy-haired girl into the Potion Master's chambers without knocking.

Hermione sighed. It certainly was going to be a long three weeks.

* * *

 

It was day eight of being lost and things seemed only to be getting easier for the two. They hadn't encountered a storm since their second night alone together, lost within the brushes of sprouting trees and oaks over 200 years old. Harry was beginning to become more open with Draco, and the blonde didn't seem keen on silences between the two either. Harry would tell himself it was because Draco was used to having cronies to talk to all the time, but now his only choice was Harry himself.

Most of their conversation revolved around school and friends, talking about their past memories and the fun times they had. Harry mostly spoke of going to Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione, and sometimes he would even delve into the pranks he and Ron would get around to doing under the Invisibility Cloak with the Marauder's Map - two items Draco was quite impressed by. Draco would talk about the summer galas he was forced to take Pansy Parkinson to, they were Balls and parties that pureblooded families held to try and betroth their children to one another. Most Purebloods had a chosen wife or husband by the time they were sixteen, but Draco was a special case. His Father only wanted the best for him, and Draco couldn't help but feel the same way. If he was going to be forced to marry some stranger, than he wanted to take his time picking her.

They had a daily routine now it seemed, but everyday seemed so much different from the last. They would take turns sleeping at night, and the one on guard would venture out to survey the area for any other signs of life. Harry liked hunting at night and would usually kill at least one small game animal, he would have it gutted for Draco to cook it for breakfast the next morning. Draco was still squeamish with this entire thing, though killing and cooking wasn't difficult for him he could not get near disembowelling the creatures which Harry did with ease. During the day, the two would nonstop walk and talk alongside one another. They would always walk South, figuring it was best to make their destination Hogwarts for Draco calculated it was the closest non-Muggle place. Harry offered that they could make it to a small Muggle town and maybe call the Knight Bus. Draco considered this option, but then brought up that it was too dangerous being who they were. The Knight Bus (which had to be called on a road, hence why the pair coudln't do so in the forest) was to be their last resort.

Draco often found himself thinking, whenever there were silences between him and Harry, about how lucky they were to get out of their situation alive. And they were still thriving with life, able to catch their own food and sleep soundly now. Everyday things seemed to be less of a problem to him, and he found himself relaxing more with his rash decisions he made in front of Voldemort and the Death Eaters that night. His head was cleared, for once in his life, and he was able to be himself away from all the expectations society and his family held on him. It felt fantastic, actually, and the more he thought about it the more he was at ease with the current situation.

Harry felt much the same way. All he had to think about was food, sleep, and defence. His mind was cleared of thoughts, his dreams were kept away from Voldemort lately and he slept better on the forest floor than he did at Hogwarts. Being so in tuned with nature made him feel so relaxed and carefree, and it didn't bother him one bit that Malfoy was there beside him the entire time. It gave him somebody to talk to, if he ever had something on his mind. Even though Harry didn't speak much, he observed a lot more and listened to the blonde boy speak quite often. Which, once again, Harry didn't mind either. With each coming day, his smile was a little brighter.

Both sixteen year-old boys were become more than accustomed to the forest, and less accustomed to thoughts of 'home'.

"How much further, do you reckon?" Harry asked on that Monday afternoon, his hands in his pant pockets as his cloak was slung over his shoulder. Inside of his cloak pocket sat his wand, his Dark Detector which had yet to go off, and a fox hyde in which he used as his own pillow. He figured one day he'll collect a bunch of them and make them into a thicker pillow. Draco much preferred the hyde of rabbits.

"Until we are out of the Nagril Forest? I would have to say by the beginning of July, or middle of it. Somewhere between six and ten weeks," Draco shrugged, he had his cloak over his shoulder too with his own rabbit hydes tucked away inside, his wand was in his trouser pocket and his blouse was open to let the breeze in as they walked nonchalantly.

"D'you think that there'll be another forest to go through?"

"We are pretty far up North..." Draco contemplated, he tried hard to recollect all he knew about their geographical situation, "I would say at least one more forest, maybe even two or three. But none will be as large as the Nagril, it is the Mother of them all. See how all the trees here are 200 years old? The other forests will be younger, some 50 some 100," he explained.

"Well, we can only hope that there'll be another forest. I'm excited for the new scenery," Harry said truthfully. This caused Draco to slowly smile, he understood why Harry had said 'we can only hope', and it was because the two felt more comfortable than they had in years almost...but neither would admit it aloud.

"Do you hear that?" Harry asked suddenly, he had stopped walking and turned his head to the West.

Draco paused beside him, his heart rate increased but then he remembered neither of their Dark Detectors were going off. It must be something else Harry was hearing. And then Draco heard it too, the sound of babbling water. But it wasn't the sound a creek would make, but what a river would. A big river.

"Is that a-"

"C'mon!" Harry grabbed ahold of Draco's forearm and dragged the blonde quickly to their left. Harry was grinning widely as his brisk walk turned quickly into a run, still pulling Draco behind him.

Then they came upon it. It was a large river, in comparison to the other ones they had seen in the forest thus far. It was about ten meters wide, and looked to be nine feet deep. "We can actually bathe in this water!" Draco said, and without a second thought he threw his cloak on the ground, he fully unbuttoned his shirt now and threw it aside as well. Harry was doing the exact same, hurriedly kicking off his shoes. The two could use a good soaking in the water, and both were more than excited to ease their aching muscles from all their days walking.

Harry was down to his boxers, and he finally looked over to his companion with an awed expression.

' _Oh my...Malfoy's so...wow_ ' he blinked at what he was seeing. The pale skin looked so touchable and silken, Draco's messy platinum hair fell haphazardly around his angelic facial features. Harry found himself growing aroused and embarassed all at once, and then his eyes travelled over the tight abdomen and down to...' _He's naked! Malfoy's naked! Oh-my-Merlin, and he's...big!_ ' Harry gapsed inwardly, unable to remove his widened emerald eyes from the package that was staring him in the face. Draco was busying himself with untying his shoes, the last thing he was wearing. Harry couldn't help but stare, because he also couldn't help but notice that he wasn't the only one that was aroused...he finally tore his eyes away with a flushed expression and wiggled out of his own dirty briefs.

Once Draco was done to his bare essentials, the blonde quickly sprinted to the water. He lowered himself in the centre of it all as the waves were gentle around him - barely moving as the wind wasn't high that day. The blonde looked over at Harry, who was folding his clothes into a pile by the tree. ' _Potter's naked. Well of course he is, so are you_!' he yelled inwardly, but he couldn't tear his eyes off of that ripped body. Since when had he gotten so muscularly toned?

Harry's body was tanned, his muscles were well defined for a sixteen year-old and his messy raven hair completed the picture for Draco. It was the same colour as the hair that was bushed up around...Draco's eyes went wide as his groin grew hot and harder at the sight of Harry's own member. ' _Is Potter aroused...because of me?_ ' he asked himself incredulously.

As Harry was flushed and lowering himself into the water, only when he was fully submerged could Draco concentrate on washing himself. The boys were completely silent and a couple meters away from one another the entire time they bathed. The only sound was the splashing water and the ruffling of squirrels and rabbits playing nearby.

They spent over an hour soaking in the river, not wanting to move for two reasons. One of them being the understanding that they wouldn't be able to gawk 'secretly' at each other any more and also that meant that they would have to walk and leave that riverbank.

But eventually, all things come to an end and they both dried themselves off looking very keenly anywhere but at each other. Then they started back off South together.

They walked for the rest of the day and far into the night not saying one word to one another, but only stealing glances when they thought the other was too distracted to notice. 

* * *

 

_I'd rather to be all alone_

_Forgiveness is fickle when trust is a chore_

_It's not every sin that's atoned_

_I heard her speak softly than heard her no more._

_There's no sacred vision like her_

_No eye-crushing mountain or jewelry to wear_

_There's no granted wish I prefer_

_Than she to be with me, for us to be there._


	6. Promise What You Will

_Lately she don't care for a warmer breeze_

_Or shade around the base of the maple trees_

_Spring was on the mountain we climbed upon_

_Stopped to see how high and how far we'd gone._

_I said "love is waiting and better days"_

_She smiled and placed a kiss on my waiting face_

_Promise what you will something good for me_

_Time will take it all and it will you'll see._

* * *

 

Rain had come and gone again. The ground was still wet, puddles of mud lie between the gaps of trees. The bottom of their trousers were soaked and caked with dirt, but they didn't seem to notice as they made their way through the area. Harry regularly walked with his shirt off now, tucked away with his cloak which he had magically shrunk to put into his pocket. His back muscles were rippled now, it must have been from all the carrying of wood to prepare a fire each and every night the two stopped. It wasn't just him. Draco was becoming much more toned as well, though he was always generally lean as a figure.

Harry always seemed to lead the two, with Draco babbling on about whatnot behind him with Harry intently listening though barely responding. He was becoming more thoroughly enjoyed to hear Draco's voice, and when the blonde got really excited about a story he would be telling it'd echo through the landscape. Harry especially liked that.

It was obvious by now that they weren't being found, and that didn't irk them one bit. It was also obvious that they were nearing the end of the Nagril forest. With Draco's calculations, it'd only take a week or two longer to reach their next path of travels. They were equally excited to see what was waiting for them in the future. The whole aspect of returning home was dulled now, to the boys they were on an adventure all to themselves. Rustling through thickets of woods, capturing their food and eating it over their fire. Draco felt barbarious, but in the best of ways. He felt content and connected with the Earth, and the way Harry's smile always reached his eyes now, Draco knew he felt it, too. Ever since they had stripped naked and bathed together in that river, which was more than three weeks ago now, they were always nervous around each other to a certain degree.

"Ever gone to the Muggle movies?" Harry quipped curiously.

"Why would I have done a thing like that?" Draco sneered, not liking having his story about one time Pansy had gotten smashed at a winter gala, interrupted. 

Harry shrugged with a smirk, "Well, neither have I," he responded, Draco raised an eyebrow at this and caught up to the brunette so he fell into stride beside him.

"So what were those Muggle relatives like growing up anyway? Probably spoiled you rotten," Draco grumbled, it was those thoughts he had harboured every since First Year - the jealousy of The-Boy-Who-Lived. In his mind, he always separated that person from Harry, who was entirely different to him now.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Harry said sharply, "At least not yet," he added with a sort of soft sadness.

Draco shrugged and let that be, but he kept his pace beside Harry. He shot a sidelong glance at him and saw the distraught in his emerald eyes, against his soft skin smile, however, it didn't look as harsh. "You don't like your past, do you?" Draco asked gently, Harry looked over at him with a surprised expression.

"Who does?"

"Good point," Draco smiled lightly, "So why did you ask that anyway?"

Harry merely shrugged, Draco watched the muscles clench and relax in the bruentte's back - he found himself flushing. "Let's have a rest, shall we?" Harry offered, gesturing towards one of the larger tree trunks.

The two slouched against it, sliding down onto the ground a foot or two apart, they took in their surroundings. Everywhere they had been in the past few weeks looked the same, but they knew they were at least making progress.

Draco leaned his hand on the ground and promptly into a puddle of mud, he withdrew it with a sour look on his face as he held his soiled hand in front of him and sneered, "Yuck. That is absolutely vile," he cursed, flinging off the wet dirt as Harry chuckled. "What, what are you laughing at Potter?"

"Heh...nothin', s'just you've been sleeping in the dirt on hyde for...how long, now? And you think mud is  _yucky_?" Harry chuckled more so, covering his mouth to muffle it as Draco turned to him with a harsh glare.

"It is mud, it is disgusting and gross feeling," Draco huffed angrily, he took out his wand and directed it as his brown hand, " _Scourgify_ ," he hissed and was magically wiped of the mud.

Harry, however, was too amused by the blonde's disgusted face that he found himself leaning sideways to lunge his own hand into a puddle of mud. Draco watched him curiously and then his eyes went comically wide as Harry grabbed a handful and turned towards him with a mischievous grin, "Don't you dare, Potter, or else I will..." Draco didn't get to finish his sentence, because Harry had promptly smeared the mud on the side of the blonde's face and pieces of it fell into the platinum hair. Draco growled and turned angrily at Harry (who was giggling at the others infuriated expression).

"What the fuck was that for, Potter?" Draco demanded, readying his wand to Scourgify his face.

"When you're angry you're just so...cute!" Harry giggled, attempting to muffle it with his hands which were both clasped over his wide grin.

Draco furrowed his eyebrows in anger and then he did something unexpected. He grabbed a handful of mud and threw it harshly at Harry's face, making his grin only widen as Draco sprang to his feet. "See? Doesn't feel so nice, does it?" Draco cursed, but he couldn't suppress his playful smirk which found its way onto his face.

"Oh, you're in for it now Malfoy..." Harry began lowly, wiping the mud off his face with the back of his arm.

"Only if you can catch me," Draco smirked, and then with a wink he was off at a run into the thicket of trees.

Harry found his grin turn into a wide smile with flushed cheeks, he grabbed one more fistful of mud and jolted after Draco. He found the blonde breathing heavily from his sprinting between what he thought was thick enough brush to hide him, Harry snuck up from behind and from a meter away threw the mud at his back. Draco turned around in a flurry but there was a smile on his face. A real smile.

Harry's heart stopped completely for a second, his breath caught in his throat.

With his bright blonde hair glinting in the sunlight, falling around his mirthful silver eyes, his thin pink lips were pulled into the most beautiful thing Harry had ever laid eyes on. Draco Malfoy smiling...and _meaning_ it. Draco caught this and found himself exploding with glee, but it was quickly over won by the need to get Harry back. He quickly bent down and in a flash there was a mixture of mud and dried, dead leaves all over Harry's front.

The brunette blinked a few times but as Draco scurried away from him, he sprang into action and followed. "Oi! Get back here!" he screamed and heard Draco respond with laughter.

This went on for the better part of half an hour, that was until Draco tackled Harry and pinned him to the ground threatening to smear the handful of mud in his face. Harry was looking up at Draco smiling largely, not exactly minding being in such close contact and beneath the Slytherin who was holding his arms back with his hands roughly on his shoulders. Draco found something stop inside of him as he peered down at Harry. The boy was smiling goofily, his emerald eyes were simply dazzling in the sunlight.

Without proper thought, Draco found himself leaning down and breathing his hot air on Harry's lips which the brunette licked tentatively. Harry suddenly found his arms released and his immediate reaction was to slink them around Draco's waist. 

Draco completed their distance and allowed his eyes to flutter shut, he pressed his lips to Harry's and was entirely surprised by the response.

Harry pulled Draco's body fully down on top of himself, he opened up his lips and began to suckle on Draco's bottom one. Feeling utterly lost in the heat that was electrifying itself through his body, Draco flicked out his tongue and was grateful when Harry opened his mouth wider to allow access. There was no battle for dominance as they kissed, there was only the perfection that moved from their mouths outwards. Draco was breathing hard now, but he didn't want to stop something that felt so good. He couldn't explain it at that moment and never could, what it felt like to kiss Harry Potter willingly, all he could tell was that his body wanted so much more. Before he could do anything else, as he was still lost in their heated kiss, Harry flipped Draco onto his back and straddled the startled boy.

They were parted, Harry's raven hair was falling down and the ends of it were tickling Draco's forehead as he looked wordlessly up at the beauty above him. "Mmm...much better than mud," Harry licked his lips as he smiled brightly and leaned downward to capture Draco's astonished lips once again.

Draco moaned eagerly up into the touch, he pulled Harry down as he began to wrap one of his hands in that messy hair, his other hand slid down his naked back. He was becoming more thoroughly aroused by the taught muscles he was stroking, and Harry seemed to enjoy it just as much as he hissed into their kiss. He stopped momentarily and pressed his forehead to Draco's, leaning on his elbow he allowed his free hand to slide up Draco's blouse and they both gasped at the sensation of it all.

Draco closed his eyes and threw his head back fully into the ground now, Harry bucked his hips into Draco's pelvis as his hand made its way up to the blonde's right nipple. Harry pinched it lightly, he fingered it around as Draco moaned and thrust himself upwards needily. Harry's mouth was suddenly occupying itself with Draco's neck, he was sucking just below his earlobe and nibbling. They were both a mess with new sensations they had never felt before, the incredible need to be closer and feel more of their skin pressed together. Draco was openly moaning now, his lips drawn apart as he breathed heavily and jerked up into Harry who didn't protest, but actually ground back down in response.

And then Harry quickly pulled back with an uneasy expression, he wasn't looking down at Draco who was staring up at him hungrily. Harry's head jerked to the Southeast, he suddenly climbed off of Draco and had his wand out in a matter of seconds. Draco followed his lead and quickly righted himself.

"It sounds like...I'm not too sure, but something big," Harry whispered in explanation, he began to slowly walk forward, his eyes scanning the flat landscape.

Draco peered around and then his eyes narrowed in on something in the distance. "Look! There!" he hissed, pointing not far from that at...

"What the bloody hell is that thing?!" Harry squeaked nervously.

Draco's eyes were as wide as saucers as the image of the beast in the distance came fully to him now, "If it sees us, we are so dead," Draco shook his head in disbelief.

"Why, what is that thing?" Harry demanded, but his voice had apparently carried itself to the creature several yards away and its head jerked in their direction and its eyes landed fully on them.

Draco went stilled with fear, "That's...a Chimaera. It's very dangerous and...it's only been killed once before, and the Wizard didn't live to tell the tale," Draco explained as best he could.

"What?! What the fuck...holy shit it's coming towards us!" Harry screamed, "Run!" he jolted around in the opposite direction but Draco stayed rooted to the spot, Harry turned to him in frustration. "Malfoy, run for merlin's sake!"

"No way, Potter. It will most definitely catch us, we have to stand up for it or we will just end up making it angrier," Draco swallowed heavily. He knew there was no easy way out of this situation, but he also knew that running when they had been spotted was an even worse idea than standing up to the creature. Harry stood stiffly beside Draco now, who had also retrieved his wand. The creature's lion head was completely concentrated on the two. Its over-sized goats body bounded towards them with its spiked red dragons tail. It was the strangest mesh of creatures Harry had ever laid eyes on. It's entire body was a golden colour, and if it weren't looking viciously at its prospective meal, Harry would have found it extremely beautiful. Its mane and fur looked silken and soft, but then there was its spiked red tail which made it look menacing.

Swallowing heavily, the creature bounded its large hooves towards the boys who were absolutely stricken with fear. 'Pfft...what a moment killer,' Draco thought to himself, but it was quickly pushed away as the thing roared in offensive nature.

It was standing only three meters from the boys now, its tail wagging as if it were happy and playing a game of cat and mouse. Its back hooves were grinding into the dirt, readying itself for a charge. Harry knew, just like Voldemort, that whatever this Chimaera thing was it was getting ready to attack. And he understood, just like the Dark Lord, that if he was quick on the up take that there was a possibility of getting out of there alive.

With his mind reeling, Harry raised his wand at the thing which was huffing angrily at them. Apparently they had invaded its territory and it was quite ready to defend it. "Make a Patronus!" he ordered Draco who was numb with fear and confusion, " _Expecto Patronum!_ " Harry screamed and it echoed in the forest. The Chimaera was completely distracted by the white light that erupted from Harry's wand and morphed into that of an enormous stag, and Prongs charged after the dumbstruck monster. Draco sent out his Patronus, a large fox, and it charged in right after and there was an explosion of white light that blinded the creature momentarily with utter confusion.

" _Extraho Rabies_!" with Harry's yell, Prongs and Draco's Patronus suddenly seemed to morph. The white light became condensed to only the figure of the fox and the stag, and they seemed to become more solid like. The Chimaera was watching in utter fascination, but it was still growling in defence but it was distracted from the less menacing boys to the very menacing magical entities. The Patronus' grew hot red light around them, Draco was watching just as confused as the beast, and then there was a roar. Draco couldn't tell where the roar had come from. Harry, The Chimaera, the stag, the fox, deeper in the forest, all he could tell was that it vibrated through the trees and the ground and afterwards the Patronus' seemed to utterly implode with energy that radiated off of them in pulsations and all of that red and white light burst with a flash at the howling Chimaera.

Looking flushed and worried, Draco turned his panic-stricken face to view a very calm Harry who stood with his wand still outstretched as he watched their Patronus' push light into the Chimaera who attempted to lash out with his hooves and his tail whipping at them. It was roaring now in frustration, for every time it attacked it was blinded by light and knocked off its feet and would have to get up again.

Harry very calmly swished his wand, " _Vitualamen_ ," and with that the red-white Patronus' fully charged at the Chimaera now and the entire surrounding area was engulfed in this light. Draco's vision went momentarily, and when he blinked his eyes open again the Patronus' were gone and the Chimaera was breathing heavily on the forest floor, seemingly suffering from internal fatal injuries.

" _Avada Kedavra_ ," Harry whispered, and a jet of green light extracted what little life the Chimaera had left in it. Harry sighed with relief and ignored the completely dumbstruck look Draco was sending him.

"So what exactly is this thing again? It's real bloody weird," Harry mused, tucking his wand back into his pocket and making his way over to the lifeless creature. It wasn't much larger than a full-grown lion.

"It-it's a Chimaera. They are supposed to be impossible to kill. What exactly happened just now, Potter?" Draco stuttered, slowly approaching from behind Harry with his eyes locked on the mystical creature.

"I reckon you can call me Harry, now," he grinned, "And it's just a spell Remus taught me that gives a persons Patronus its full potential. It's called 'The Dragon's Fury', tacky, I know. But the Chimaera seemed to be easily distracted by magic, so I thought not only would our Patronus' become intensified but the added energy would definitely throw the thing off its guard," Harry was smirking down as he reached out and stroked the belly of the beast, and then his eyes trailed along to its spiked tail. ' _Wow...it's magnificent if you really take a good look at it_ ,' he said to himself.

"Well,  _Harry_ , that is highly impressive to say the least. And quick thinking on your part," Draco said sincerely, his hand pressed into Harry's lower back and the brunette found himself automatically leaning against the touch with comfort which caused a smile to twitch on Draco's face. "What was that last spell you did?"

"Oh, I made the Patronus' sacrifice themselves to thrust all of their magic at it. Really knocks the wind outta things," Harry smirked.

"I see why you are supposed to defeat the Dark Lord...you may not be the smartest, but you certainly are the quickest thinker in ridiculous situations," Draco complimented, a faint blush crept up Harry's face which the blonde caught a sideways look at and decided he very much enjoyed it.

"Er, thanks...Draco," Harry breathed and then felt the hand on his back crawl up to his shoulder and then down across the front of his chest. Harry sighed as Draco pulled his back into his front, Harry leaned lightly on the boy behind him whose head rested lightly on his shoulder, their cheeks almost touching.

Draco was surprised that Harry hadn't pushed him away when he embraced him so intimately, but he was also eternally grateful. "So what are we going to do about this thing now? Just leave it?"

"Well...do you think it's safe to eat?"

"Uh, I don't think we should do that just in case. Magical creature meat is much different from regular animals," Draco explained as Harry nodded, his hand was now resting upon Draco's nervously not doing anything besides resting there.

"Right, well...bury it then?"

"That would take way too long and I am too exhausted for that. Can't we just burn it?"

"Alright, whatever you want Draco," Harry sighed resignedly, "But do it quickly because I think we should at least get a little more walking in today, we've been kinda slacking..." he blushed as he thought back to their heated kisses, he didn't know he could act so boldly upon whim.

"Mmm..." Draco flashed back to the memory of it too and closed his eyes blissfully, "It's your fault that you are so damn irresistible," he smirked as he felt Harry completely stiffen with embarrassment in his arms. Chuckling lightly, Draco stood up and pulled out his wand again to point it at the Chimaera. Harry sat dumbly still for a moment before pulling himself off of the ground and stepping back. " _Incendio_ " the creatures lifeless body burst into flames and Harry backed up to stand beside Draco to watch it burn.

When it was finally reduced to a pile of soot and ash, Draco lifted the spell and saw that Harry was frowning. "Such a beautiful creature, these Chimaera's. It feels like a waste to have killed it," he sighed with his hands in his pockets.

"Just keep in mind that it was a bloodthirsty beast that wanted to viciously eat us for dinner. Just keep that in mind," Draco winked and nudged him lightly, "Lets get walking, shall we?" and with Harry's curt nod, they started off in the South direction again leaving behind them a pile of black ashes.

They walked on silently for about fifteen minutes before Harry's eyes caught something strange looking. "Draco? What's that?" he asked, his head cocked skywards at into the branches of a wide tree not far ahead of them.

Draco followed Harry's gaze and his eyes widened at what he was looking at. It was what resembled a nest, but it was quite a large birds nest. "It almost looks like a Fwooper nest," Draco commented, but " _Accio res_ ," he had pointed his wand at the nest and was surprised when a large golden egg descended swiftly from the nest and came floating in front of them.

Harry automatically reached out his hands and caressed the hovering egg before taking it fully into his hands, it was heavier than he had expected. "What kind of creature d'you suppose it is?"

"Well Harry, I think I know now why that Chimaera was so keen on protecting its territory. That's a Grade A Non-Tradeable Good, a Chimaera egg. Really one of a kind, and extremely rare," he explained with wide silver eyes, his hand reached out to stroke the smooth surface of the egg and his fingers landed on Harry's hand, he let them stay there momentarily before dropping his arms to his sides though the blush on Harry's cheeks didn't go unnoticed.

"So-we killed its Mother?"

"It was either her or us, Harry, your choice," Draco shrugged.

"I know that I'm not sad it's just...what about this baby now?" Harry's face was scrunched up in thought and his shoulders were slumped, Draco watched him with curiosity as his fingers were rubbing the egg. "I think we should keep it," he firmly said, looking up at Draco hoping the blonde wouldn't protest.

"Fine by me, but I am certainly not carrying it," Draco shrugged nonchalantly. It's not like it was about to be born, then there would be streaks of white on the egg. They had a few more weeks until that, so they could find a suitable area for it to birth by then.

Harry smiled at the acceptance and began to walk out again, the egg held firmly in his hands. Draco kept his pace beside the brunette this time and neither talked the rest of the day or night, but they couldn't help but smile and blush whenever they accidentally grazed by one another.

'Oh, this is turning out to be quite the adventure...'

* * *

 

_I said "love is waiting and better days"_

_She smiled and placed a kiss on my waiting face_

_Promise what you will something good for me_

_Time will take it all and it will you'll see._


	7. Love and Some Verses

_Love is a dress that you made_

_long to hide your knees._

_Love to say this to your face,_

_"I'll love you only,"_

_for your days and excitement,_

_What will you keep for to wear?_

_Someday drawing you different,_

_May I be weaved in your hair?_

* * *

 

End of term exams had just come to a draw, but Ron and Hermione could still be found at Hogwarts whereas all the other students were long gone on the Hogwarts Express. It was blistering hot outside, it seemed to be one of those heated summers again as they waited holding hands in the courtyard beneath one of the vine hangings. They were looking out silently on the Hogwarts Grounds, both of their faces were frowning.

For over a month, they hadn't been having the best time of their lives to say the least. Their thoughts were constantly plagued with unanswered questions of where in the world Harry could have possibly disappeared to with Malfoy. The Slytherin's pretended like nothing was wrong, but they cornered the two Gryffindor's in empty corridors whenever they could to ask questions of their whereabouts. Ron and Hermione were beginning to understand that they were sincere in their own search for Malfoy, but they couldn't help them one bit.

"Hermione, Ron," Remus approached them solemnly, but there was a small hint of a smile in the corner of his lips. He looked a lot more worn out than usual, and it wasn't even around a full moon. It was just because of Harry being missing for so long, he was beginning to worry.

"Hullo Professor," Hermione tried her best to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes as Ron tightened his grip on her hand.

"Did you remember to bring the Map?" Remus asked, Ron merely took out the folded piece of parchment and nodded. "Perfect, lets get going then shall we?" he motioned towards the nearly empty castle where the two Gryffindors began to trudge inside.

They were making their way silently to the dungeons, where Professor Snape was waiting impatiently with the bottled vial of the Locator's Potion, when Remus stopped then outside the door. The two teenagers looked up at him with sorrowful expressions as he placed his hand on both of their shoulders comfortingly.

"We'll find him. This'll tell us exactly where we need to go," Remus assured them, they merely smiled up at him but he understood that they couldn't completely believe him.

They entered the empty classroom, and Snape was hovering over his desk as his attention snapped up to the three who had just entered. "Late, as always," Snape grumbled and then sat down in his chair, crossing his arms and eyeing the three who approached him.

"Is everything set?" Hermione asked, the Potions Master glared at her but nodded slightly.

"Lets do this then, hand me the Map Ron," Remus took the Map and took out his wand to point to it. He took a deep breath and held out his hand to Severus who automatically handed him the Potion that was a dark maroon colour.

" _Locus erus_ ," Remus said, and a purple light came from the tip of his wand and hit the Marauder's Map, lying disengaged on Snape's desk now. The werewolf quickly downed the potion and immediately began to feel a pull at his naval, almost like a portkey. He was quickly ushered to a seat nearby at one of the students desks, he closed his eyes and felt a quill being pushed into his hand.

He concentrated as hard as he could on all memories and sensations that meant 'Harry', he searched for that person he knew. He searched and searched, and then he found. He felt his presence inside of himself, and Remus reached out to grab him but for some reason he was out of reach. With his eyes closed, it was as if he could almost see him, but not quite.

Remus was suddenly jolted from his head and back into his body fully, he snapped his eyes open and his grip on the quill tightened as three curious pairs of eyes looked at him. "I found him," he said, Ron and Hermione breathed with relief.

"So? Where is Potter then?" Snape urged on, just as eager to retrieve the boy.

"I-I don't know, I tried to pull him towards me but...it was like...he wouldn't budge, he wouldn't come," Remus said confusedly, shaking his head and furrowing his eyebrows.

"Wouldn't come? Can he do that, just ignore the Spell?" Hermione turned to Severus who scowled lightly.

"There are only two reasons why the Potion and Spell could not work. One of them being that the one you are trying to locate is dead, and this is not the case because we would have heard news from the Dark Lord about that by now for he would have noticed due to their connection. The second option, is that the person whom the caster is attempting to locate does not wish to be found," Severus was looking down at Remus, who was still thinking to himself.

"What? That's not possible! Why wouldn't Harry want to be found, of course he does!" Ron bellowed angrily, his fists clenched as Hermione placed a comforting hand on his back although she was equally bewildered, "You must've brewed it wrong!" he spat accusingly at Snape who scowled at him.

"Don't be foolish, of course I didn't. Maybe there's more to Potter than you know, now I think Professor Dumbledore needs to hear about this," Snape snapped and then he strode from the room without anymore words.

"R-Remus?" Hermione stuttered, sitting down beside the older man who turned to her with an unreadable expression. "Did you find anything else out?"

"No, it's just...it doesn't add up," he shook his head.

"What? What is it?" Ron urged.

"I found him and I got this overwhelming sense of happiness..."

* * *

 

The sun was setting and the two boys were more than content to just sit and watch it. They were leaning against a tree, a small fire burning in front of them as their fox meat cooked on a stick overtop of it. Harry was stroking the Chimaera egg that they had retrieved yesterday, he seemed unable to take it out of his hands since then. They hadn't spoken much to each other, especially after the kissing. And whenever they would touch, Harry almost jumped out of his skin. Draco couldn't help but smirk at this, he adored how nervous Harry got sometimes in comparison to how forward some of his previous actions were. Draco had quickly come to terms with his sudden feelings for the brunette. He understood he liked him, but how much was the question he didn't really bother himself with. He was happy with him, and that's all that mattered. And it seemed that Harry was quite happy with him as well.

"So what do you say? Two more weeks?" Harry suddenly asked, putting aside the egg on his cloak which was folded on the ground beside him.

"At the most," Draco nodded, reaching forward to turn the fox meat on its stick.

"That's no so bad then," Harry said, but he was frowning slightly. Draco immediately caught his thoughts and scooched closer to him, his arm slung around Harry's shoulder and pulled the brunette. Harry didn't protest, but he blushed deeply.

"Harry, whatever happens when we get back you do know that it won't change a thing, right?" Draco said, his breath ghosting on Harry's ear as he leaned in quickly to kiss him on the cheek.

Harry started at that but quickly relaxed into the other boy, he rested his head on Draco's shoulder and found his hand sitting idly on the others knee. "Draco...what is this?" Harry asked slowly, unsurely.

"Does it need a name?" he responded softly, his other hand found its way onto Harry's and he clasped their fingers together tightly. "Listen, lets not worry about it now, dinners ready," Draco swiftly untucked his arm from around Harry and reached out to get at their food.

"No, no it doesn't," Harry whispered to himself smiling, "It doesn't need a name," and then he shrugged it off and joined Draco in eating their freshly caught dinner.

* * *

 

_Love and some verses you hear_

_Say what you can't say,_

_Love to say this in your ear,_

_"I'll love you that way"_

_from your changing contentments,_

_What will you choose for to share?_

_Someday drawing you different,_

_may I be weaved in your hair?_


	8. Teeth In The Grass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Slight Smut Ahead

_And when you give me your clothes_

_And when we're lovers at last_

_Fresh air, perfume in your nose_

_There will be teeth in the grass._

_And when you give me your house_

_When we're all brothers at last_

_There will be food in our mouths_

_There will be teeth in the grass._

* * *

 

Harry woke up feeling well rested, he attempted to stretch his arms above his head but found his left arm most positively trapped. He was looking at a full head of platinum hair, he found himself blushing against it. There he was, in the middle of the forest, spooned up against Draco Malfoy of all people. ' _Who would've thought?_ ' he mused to himself, but smiled down at the peacefully sleeping figure in his arms. Harry recollected what happened the night before. The two talked over dinner, they laughed about school and friends as they usually did, but this time was different. This time they were touching, holding hands, they had their arms around each other and they would sneak small pecks onto the others cheeks. And the night ended with the two of them falling asleep beside one another, not caring enough to take turns this time.

' _Sometime in the night I must've...moved closer to him_ ,' Harry mused. Not wanting to be caught spooning Draco, Harry attempted to remove his arm but any slight movement made the blonde stir. Resigning, Harry decided to just sit there and watch Draco sleep. _'He looks so beautiful, so calm_ ,' he said, reaching out with his free hand to brush a few strands of blonde hair from the boys face to get a better look at him. It felt so natural to have their bodies pressed up against one another, and Harry found himself never wanting to move.

"You know...staring is rude, Potter," drawled the wakening blonde, Harry quickly jumped and retracted his arm, sitting straight up. Draco chuckled lightly and brought himself up as well, "Calm down, Harry, you are always too jumpy," he teased.

Harry blushed and looked away, out into the distance of the forest. "We shouldn't have, erm, done that," he stumbled on his words.

"Done what exactly?" Draco raised his eyebrow suggestively and couldn't help but laugh again at Harry's expression.

"Fallen asleep at the sametime, one of us has got to keep watch,"

"That's what our Dark Detectors are for, are they not? I am pretty sure that they will be loud enough to sound the alarm in time to wake us up," Draco said as he stretched, his dirtied blouse raised over his abdomen and Harry couldn't help but sneak a peak at the pale skin. When he noticed Draco's eyes on him, Harry snapped his attention back outwards.

"What day is it?" Harry asked, promptly changing the subject.

"July 29th, and that means it's almost your brithday," Draco winked.

"You know when my brithday is?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Of course I do, who doesn't know when The-Boy-Who-Lived birthday is?" he teased back, causing Harry to scowl playfully before bringing himself to his feet.

"Well, we've really been losing time, I think we should get going," So the boys readied their things and began the start of their day. At first it was a quiet morning walk, the sun was still just risen in the sky and it gave this odd glow to the forest. Harry enjoyed observing nature thoroughly now, and he felt at home as he did.

"You know, I don't exactly mind this," Draco said suddenly around noon hour that day.

"Mind what?" Harry prompted, but he already knew exactly what his companion was referring to.

"Being lost out here. I mean, at least I don't have to spend another summer alone in the Manor, making the best of my efforts to hide my true self from Father," Draco's voice darkened at the mention of Lucius, but he quickly shrugged it off.

Harry bite his lower lip nervously, "I-I don't mind it either. I hated summers, I'd have to spend them with these wretched muggles. And...I'm not really fond of school either now," he frowned.

"Why not? It always seems as though you're living the life at Hogwarts,"

"Pfft...as if. Everybody expects so much of me; Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, everybody! But I don't know how I'm any different from the next guy. So what, Voldemort couldn't kill me when I was one...but it wasn't me who stopped him, it was my Mother! That definitely says something about her abilities, but that doesn't make me any stronger than you," Harry huffed lightly, he hated thinking about this, hated thinking about all he was expected to do but he knew there was absolutely no way out of it.

Draco sighed lightly and put his arm around Harry's waist as they walked, he pulled the other boy close to his side and was glad there was no protest. "Your quick witted, and extremely powerful Harry. Even I cannot deny that, no matter how much I'd like to. You possess abilities even Dumbledore can't understand, and the Dark Lord is  _scared_  of you. Not one Wizard has battled a Chimaera and lived to tell the tale," Draco added pointedly, and he smirked lightly as Harry pressed a hand to his wrapped up cloak slung over his shoulder which contained the golden egg.

"I-I just don't think I have it in me, to kill Voldemort. Animals are one thing, but people, even if it _is_ that pathetic excuse for a man! And everybody's resting their hopes on me...I can't do it alone," Harry admitted solemnly, though he felt thoroughly reassured as Draco kept holding onto him as they walked. Harry found himself putting an arm around the blonde's back, and didn't miss the big smile that broke across the others face because of it.

"You won't have to, Harry. I'll be there right beside you, and that's a promise," Draco said firmly, and Harry didn't doubt him when he said that.

"Thank you Draco," Harry whispered.

"No Harry, thank you," Draco bent down to his right to quickly peck Harry on the forehead, the brunette blushed and smiled brightly. "Now that we've gotten into the topic...what's your game plan on destroying the Dark Lord?"

"Erm...game plan?"

"C'mon, Potter, you have got to think of something at least! Or were you honestly going to be thick-headed enough to go in there and kill him on a whim?" Draco raised his eyebrow as Harry mumbled something incoherently and blushed, "Good thing you have me here to think for you when you're brain has most obviously runaway," he teased and then quickly dove into the subject of Voldemort, and for once Harry wasn't the least bit uncomfortable with having that conversation.

It was two days later when Draco awoke rather early, the sun was just rising as he did so. It was rare for him to awake before Harry, but he had gone to sleep at least two hours earlier just so he could. For today, was a very special day indeed and he had many things to prepare. He ghost a kiss on Harry's cheek before untangling himself from the boy, they slept beside each other now and would always somehow in the middle of the night end up snuggling close. Neither boy minded this, of course they more than enjoyed it.

Draco yawned and grabbed his wand to venture out into the woods. There had to be some sort of fox or family of rabbits awake at this time, and Draco was keen on finding them. It was an hour before he returned to base camp, rather glad that Harry was still sound asleep curled up on top of his own cloak. Draco smiled at the resting figure before starting a fire in the pit they used last night to cook dinner. He, for once since they had been lost, gutted the fox which he had caught and killed, and skewered the fresh meat on a stick to levitate overtop of the flames.

As he awaited the meat to cook, Draco went over to collect his own cloak and retrieved a very miniscule looking twig with a rock on the end of it. He took off the shrinking charm he had on the object and it immediately grew to over a meter long and an inch thick. It was the stick he had been privately whiddling away at for weeks now, for a very specific reason. Draco admired his handy work, it was quite a lot better than he had thought he could do. There was a smooth, curled design that ran up the stick to where a sharpened arrows head was mounted by a rabbit's hamstring. The arrowhead was carved expertly, and there was only one more thing Draco had to do to complete it. He used Harry's knife to chip away at the end of the spear furthest away from the head. He did this until he went over to check the meat to find it was ready and crisp.

Smiling nervously to himself, he brought the skewered meat over to where Harry still lay sleeping and he bent down to plant a gentle kiss on his lips. He was surprised to find an immediate response; a hand flew up to touch his face, Harry flicked out his tongue to deepen the kiss. Draco's eyes went wide before he relaxed into the touch, he wiggled his own tongue inside the brunette's mouth and began to do his exploring.

Draco lay aside their breakfast so that he could push Harry gently onto his back, he stradled him and all the while did not break their kiss. Draco was aware of Harry's hand now being lost in his own hair, he pushed his own hand up the others shirt and caressed the skin beneath causing for Harry to moan pleasurably, Draco bucked his hips down against the boy and found it extremely hard to hold himself back. 

"Mmm..." Harry whispered against those silken pink lips, he ground his own hardened member up against Draco's hips and felt shocks of electricity vibrate through him.

Draco pulled away with a goofy smile on his face, admiring the blushed boy beneath him, "Good morning and Happy Birthday, Harry," he whispered and leaned down to captivate him in one more short kiss.

Harry sighed reluctantly when Draco climbed off of him, he sat up and blinked at the sun that was glinting through the trees. "Mornin' to you too," he mumbled, no longer feeling embarassed by their actions knowing just as well that Draco enjoyed them like he did.

"I've made you breakfast," Draco said, settling himself cross-legged on the ground in front of Harry who sat with his legs tucked behind his knees. Draco lifted up the fox meat and offered it to Harry who smiled brightly.

"So you actually caught something," Harry teased, "And you gutted it all by yourself? Impressive...did you pass out halfway through or something?" he winked and then broke off a piece of meat to place in his mouth, he savoured the natural taste of the toughness.

"Oi, shove off," Draco mumbled, but was more than happy to take the piece of meat that was now being offered to him by Harry. Draco leaned forward and opened his mouth for Harry to put the small piece he had broken off inside, and before Harry could pull away Draco wrapped his lips around his fingers, causing Harry's eyes to widen considerably. Draco swirled his tongue around the digits, he suckled gently before releasing them and was aroused by the flushed look he recieved.

"I also made you something...now it's not the greatest but I think you would appreciate it. It might make hunting easier," Draco explained, he pointed his wand in the direction of the fire where had had left the spear and Accio'd it. It flew into his grasp and he offered it forward to Harry who put down the stick of meat to look at the spear.

"Wow, Draco this is...wow..." Harry said slowly, he picked it up and gently ran his fingers across the smooth design and then brought himself to prick a small cut in his finger, "The arrowhead is actually really sharp, this must've taken forever!"

"About three weeks," Draco shrugged nonchalantly, "Glad you like it," he smiled gently.

"Is this...an engravement?" Harry asked, he was concentrating on the end furthest away from the spear now and the pink tinge that reached Draco's cheeks didn't go unnoticed.

"It says 'Happy Birthday Harry, Love Draco'," The blonde muttered nervously, he had hoped that him writing that in hadn't been too much. But he had felt it necessary, as if it completed the gift.

"It's so wonderful! Thank you so much Draco!" Harry exclaimed and pushed aside the stick of fox meat and the spear to lunge at the unsuspecting blonde. Harry was sitting in his lap, his hands clasped around his neck and he lowered his mouth to feverishly kiss him. Draco quickly embraced Harry back, pulling them closer together. They deepened their kiss almost immediately and their groins grew hot as their tongues danced together. Harry groaned and began to rock his hips back and forth, hard into Draco's aroused crotch. Gasping, Draco pulled Harry as close to him as humanly possible, his hands suddenly snaked up the others shirt and were feeling up all of the soft skin on his back.

Harry released Draco's mouth only to run his tongue down his neck, he smiled pleasantly at the shiver of arousal he got in return. He brought his hands from Draco's hair to his front, he let them slowly unbutton the blouse he always wore and pulled back from his necking to take a look at the pale, perfect torso. "You're so beautiful," he whispered out loud, not feeling one bit embarassed to admit that.

Draco closed his eyes and threw back his head moaning as Harry lowered his mouth to wrap around one of the others pink nipples. Draco's nails scratched across Harry's back needily, he pushed his pelvis upwards eagerly. "Harry...feels so...good..." he panted, never wanting the sensation to stop.

It wasn't long before Harry had disgarded both of their shirts, and Draco's back was pressed against the forest floor as Harry grinded into him hungrily, grunting with pleasure as he nibbled at Draco's neck enjoying every little noise the blonde made. Draco felt pure ectascy rippling through his body as his hands moved down Harry's naked back to squeeze his buttocks, causing Harry to grind harsher into him.

"Mmm...Harry...more, please," Draco begged, his thoughts were becoming incoherent to himself as he felt pure passion welling up inside of him.

Harry quietly obliged as he shoved his hand down Draco's front which he was still pressed firmly against and down his pants. Draco's eyes flew open as Harry grasped his hand tightly around his throbbing member, he threw his head backwards. "Oh Merlin, Harry, feels so...ahhh..." Draco moaned, thrusting himself into Harry's hand as the brunette continued to lick and nip at him. Draco was grasping so tightly onto the others backside now he was afraid he was going to leave marks, but he couldn't help it he needed something to restrain himself from completely losing it.

"Make love to me, Draco," Harry whispered, pulling himself away as he did a backwards climb off of Draco, the blonde's eyes went wide as he watched as Harry undid his own trousers and pulled them off as he lie on top of his cloak now. There Harry Potter was, his legs open and as naked as the day he was born, waiting for Draco to make love to him.

Draco's head was reeling, but it didn't take him long for him to remove the rest of his own clothing and crawl on top of Harry. "Are you sure?"

Harry smiled beautifully and leaned upwards to peck Draco, "I've never been so sure in my entire life," he assured him.

And it was that day, as Draco made love to Harry and they came screaming each others names and it echoed off the trees, that Harry had the best birthday he had ever known.

It was only the next day when the two boys, holding hands as they walked through the forest, came across something of a 'delicate' situation. They were still blissful in each others presence, stealing kisses and gropes whenever they could. It was nearly impossible to keep their hands off of one another, and neither questioned it because neither had been happier in their entire lives.

Draco was eyeing the area curiously that afternoon, Harry caught his odd look. "What is it, Draco?" he asked gently, he could tell that the other boy most definitely felt off.

"It's just...these trees...they're so  _familiar_ ," he said confusedly, still peering at the landscape. Harry hadn't any idea what he was talking about, the area looked and felt the exact same to him as it always did. Just trees, dirt, animals.

And then Draco completely stilled in his walking, his eyes went comically wide and his mouth dropped open. Harry looked on him with concern. "What is it?" he whispered gently.

Draco swallowed heavily, "We're on the Malfoy Estate,"

* * *

 

_And when there's nothing to want_

_When we're all brilliant and fast_

_When all tomorrow's are gone_

_There will be teeth in the grass._


	9. Serpent Charmer

_There's a woman here with a broken record player_

_And a dusty compass off to map the country's new behaviour_

_Strange words that we hold on back into the river_

_Brave boys in the empty coats of men._

_There's a kitchen timer, distractions and reminders_

_That the rolly-pollies started crawling across your family's china_

_Strange words that we hold on back into the river_

_Dead dogs only want to live again._

* * *

 

By nightfall, the two were clutching each others hands with a sweaty grip of nerves. "The wards should be somewhere soon," Draco explained shakily.

Harry had never seen him so nervous, not even when they were face-to-face with that Chimaera. "So, do you think it'll just be your Mother there? Maybe we could sneak in and use the Fireplace to Floo to Hogwarts?" he suggested, only to receive an incredulous look.

"Are you kidding? Sneak into the Malfoy Manor? My parents are immediately alerted when and where there are 'intruders' on the grounds. I'm just hoping that only Mother is there, because it won't be difficult to subdue her. The only trouble will be if Lucius is there," Draco grumbled, he had worry etched across his entire pointed face which made Harry frown.

' _Of course he's worried. He did just completely defy his Father and disown him over a month ago...I doubt Lucius Malfoy would let off his own son that easily,_ ' Harry sighed and held Draco's hand tighter, he definitely didn't enjoy seeing him this worked up.

"Up there, look," Draco stopped walking, he pointed his finger straight ahead and as Harry squinted his eyes under his dirtied glasses, he saw large iron gates ten feet tall in the distance, "The wards activate once you pass the gates, so it is no harm done if we go up to them to see who is home," he explained, and led the way closer to the gates through the thick of trees. And then they were out onto a clearing, the night sky glittering stars down on them and Harry felt it a little easier to breathe out of all that brush. The iron gates seemed so menacing to Harry, and the way Draco was scowling they did to him too. They were spiked at the top, and looking out into the distance Harry could see the Malfoy Manor a couple hundred yards away.

"Wow...you grew up  _here_?" Harry asked, completely astonished.

The Manor looked to be at least six floors, it seemed to be separated into five towers and of course there was the main area. The windows were large and glistened in the moonlight, and the lawn was absolutely fantastical. The freshly mown green grass had more than one garden arranged on it, heavy statues of marble and stone of famous witches and Wizards all pureblood alike. "The courtyard is my favourite place," Draco whispered, cocking his head to the left side of the side yard where a garden was groomed in a circle and had a paragola in the middle of it. "It was nice to sit out there and think, especially in the summer between the years at Hogwarts," he sighed but shook off the nostalgia when he felt Harry's hand slip from his own. 

Harry hissed in immediate pain and both hands flew up to his forehead, he pawed at his lightning bolt scar groaning. "Harry? What is it?" Draco hurriedly was beside him as Harry dropped to the forest floor, still clutching onto his head and groaning.

"Voldemort's here," Harry hissed venomously, "My connection to him always hurts this much when we're close by...I just wasn't expecting it," he took a shaky breath before pulling himself to his feet with the assistance of Draco.

"Are you alright?"

"M'fine, but there's no way we'd get in and out of there unnoticed. If Voldemort's there then there are most likely Death Eaters and your Father, too, and there's no way in Merlin's hell he'd just let us use the Floo Powder and say 'good day'," Harry growled, his fists were clenched at his sides now just thinking about the men inside that house. 

"Here. Lets walk around to the other side of the gates, we can see Father's study from there and there aren't any gardens in the way," Draco offered out his arm but was momentarily stung when Harry refused it and began to trudge after him with a vengeful scowl on his face.

It took about ten minutes to circle the gates, and then they came quite close to the Manor itself. Harry squinted his eyes and peered up through the iron bars into the large window, curtains drawn with none other than Lucius Malfoy looking out and upwards at the night sky. He was talking, his lips were moving in a sly smirk. Harry's head was absolutely burning, and he hadn't any question whom he was talking to.

"Father's fire is the only one connected to the Floo network," Draco explained with a frown, "And it does not look like we will be able to get at it,"

"If I killed Voldemort then we could," Harry growled, his eyes never leaving the window as he wished to catch a glimpse of that creature.

Draco quickly grabbed a hold of Harry and roughly dug his nails into his shoulders, forcing them to look eye-to-eye. Harry's face immediately softened though the hatred didn't leave his eyes, "Don't. Even. Think. About. It," Draco spat protectively, shaking the boy in front of him gently.

"Why not? He's right there! What if he's keeping Remus imprisoned or something? You expect me to sit here and do nothing?!" Harry yelled back.

"Yes, I do," Draco sneered, "We are in the Black Forest now, that is only a week from The Forbidden Forest which takes about a day and half to walk through itself. Hogwarts is the next closest destination and I suggest we get there as soon as possible and get rested up before we come back here to deal with vermin," he spat.

"We?"

"Yes, we! I told you before and I will tell you again, you are not going at this alone! I promised I'd be by your side when that day came, and I will keep that promise!" Draco's grip on Harry softened and a small smirk formed in the corner of his mouth as he closed most of the distance between them. He pressed his body up against Harry and wrapped his arms around the waist of the smaller boy, "I also made a promise to myself," he whispered, hot air ghosting on Harry's face.

Harry swallowed, he couldn't help but get aroused when Draco was this close to him even when Voldemort was just a few hundred yards away. "W-what promise?" he stuttered, fluttering his eyes shut.

"I promised myself that I would never let anybody hurt you ever again, that I would personally protect you, Harry. Don't make me break that promise by doing something as moronic as marching into the Malfoy Manor which is most likely crawling with Death Eaters," Draco was now pressing his lips on Harry's, the brunette fully relaxed now in his arms and wrapped his own around Draco's neck.

"Mmm...okay...but only if you let me promise that I'll protect you too," Harry said quickly, only to peck Draco once more.

"Good. Now that we are agreeing on something, I do believe we should get as faraway from here as possible,"

"Concurred. Voldemort will most likely be noticing soon that I'm nearby, but I'm not too sure our connection affects him the same way it does me," Harry raised an eyebrow curiously, thinking to himself. He still only had very vague details on his and the Dark Lord's connection. 

Draco began to lead the two of them away from the Manor, "We will be walking South-east from now on," he explained, Harry only dumbly nodded and held the blonde's hand lightly. 

"Isn't Hogsmeade closer than Hogwarts at this point?" Harry asked, "Or for that matter isn't there any other Wizarding village between here and then?"

Draco shook his head lightly, "I actually do not live too far from Hogwarts, surprisingly enough. But I am still required to take the train, which absolutely annoyed me to no end...Alas, Hogsmeade is not closer, either. You see, it is on the furthest east side of the Forbidden Forest and Hogwarts is more on the South-west side. Therefore walking South-east, we will eventually come to Hogwarts much sooner than Hogsmeade," he explained.

"Ah, okay then. How much longer should we walk tonight? It is night and we haven't even dinner yet,"

"Hmm...I would say just two more hours, we can hunt on our walk. I just do not feel incredibly safe this close to all of...them," Draco scowled.

"Me neither," Harry quickly agreed.

About four hours later when the two laid out their cloaks and hyde-pillows, they immediately curled up into one another. They were facing one another, their arms draped over each others torso's and their legs entwined as their foreheads lay barely touching and they blinked softly, looking into each others eyes. Harry never felt more safe, calm and relaxed when he was lying like this with Draco and he couldn't describe it further than pure bliss. Harry also had the Chimaera egg lying just above their heads, wrapped up in a rabbit hyde.

"How much longer do you suspect it will take for it to hatch?" Harry asked, smiling as he watched Draco cutely surpress a yawn.

"We found it when it was matured, it was ready to hatch. But we took it away from its mothers warmth, but it should any day now," he explained lazily, "Now shush, Potter, I need to get my beauty sleep,"

"You don't need beauty sleep, Draco, you're always beautiful," Harry whispered, and watching a hint of pink crawl up Draco's neck he was more than satisfied and could honestly die happy at that moment in time. "Goodnight,"

"Goodnight, Harry," and when Draco was assured that a few minutes later Harry was sleeping, he quickly kissed him on the cheek and brushed aside his raven fringe, "I love you," he whispered, getting nothing but the soft sound of breath escaping from Harry's lips in response.

* * *

 

Harry did not wake with the first rays of sun as he usually did, but with the odd sound of yelping. He quickly sat upright and saw that Draco was still fast asleep, his platinum hair dirtied, greasy and still somehow silken lay in every which direction. Harry smiled down at him but soon heard another sucession of yelps. Turning towards the sound, Harry looked upon the rabbit hyde concealing the Chimaera egg and saw it rocking uncharacteristically back and forth. Quickly untangling himself from the blonde, Harry unwrapped the egg which was cracked nearly in half. His emerald eyes went wide as he sat cross-legged and placed the heavy egg in his lap. Harry couldn't help but gently pet the side of it as it shook.

"Psst...Draco! Draco!" Harry called softly, not wanting to startle him from his sleep. "Draco, wake up!"

Draco groaned and rolled over onto his front, he stretched his arms above his head and slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "What do you want, Potter? It's not even daybreak yet!"

"The Chimaera, I think it's hatching!"

"Really?" Draco suddenly forgot all about his wish to go back to sleep and how early it really was and hurriedly sat across from Harry, looking curiously down at the egg in his lap. "If I were you I would put it on the ground, Harry. It will make it easier for the Chimaera to hatch, on a smoother surface. And then it will be able to recognize who it will as its Mother,"

Harry followed Draco's instructions and placed the egg down on the ground between them. There was more yelping from inside, "Is it supposed to do that?"

"What, did you think suddenly coming to life in a dark place by yourself was supposed to be all fun and games? The poor things scared and has no idea what is going on, of course it is supposed to do that," Draco hissed, Harry shot him a quick scathing look only to gaze intently back down at the egg which continued to rock. Suddenly, the crack widened considerably and what looked like a hoove jabbed out at a sideways angle. Harry inched closer as the yelping seized momentarily and the golden egg then burst into a thousand little pieces, spraying across the forest floors and their laps. There shakily stood a minature version of what he and Draco had faced many weeks ago now.

The lions head had wide eyes, not harmful but merely curious. The dragon's tail was a pail red, the spikes didn't look menacing but almost cute. The goat body was soft, and most definitely miniscule. "It's so tiny!" Harry squeaked, a bright smile lighting up his face as Draco watched him with an equally happy gaze.

"Chimaera's grow rather rapdily. It should reach its Mother's size in a week, and this one..." Draco ducked his head close to the ground and then smirked before coming up again, "Seems to be a female, too. Look, it is attempting to figure out its Mother," Draco said pointedly. The baby Chimaera, just learning how to walk, stumbled on its hooved feet with its tail wagging experimentally behind her. She yelped one more strangled yelp before glancing up at Harry and quickly hobbling over towards him. She stumbled into his lap and nuzzled up against his arm, Harry looked up at Draco brightly but with slight confusion.  "Looks like she found herself a Mother," Draco snorted, relishing the scene as much as possible.

Harry smiled brightly and looked down at the small creature rubbing up against him, he reached out and stroked its small body and was amused as its tail wagged, almost like a dog. "Keaira," Harry said resolutely.

"What?" Draco asked.

"Kearia, I want to name her that," he explained, his eyes not wandering from the little creature still happily nuzzling him, Harry continued petting her. "What do they eat? And how do I even begin to train her?"

"You do not feed or train a Chimaera, Harry," Draco drawled, "They learn rather quickly on their own. She will be catching her own food by nightfall, and walking easily by tomorrow morn. She will forever know who her 'Mother' is from this point on. It's all instinctual. Chimaera's are incrediably powerful creatures, as I explained you are the first survivor to defeat one who did not die shortly thereafter. They are bred quickly and adapt to their situation, in a short five days she will be nearing her full potential. She will most likely sleep more than usual for the first little while, she must adjust to her body rapdily changing. However, she will not like being away from you whatsoever," he explained.

"How do you know all of this?" Harry gaped.

"Because I, unlike yourself, pay attention in class Potter," Draco teased and then reached out to stroke the creature in Harry's lap. She, or Kearia as she was called now, immediately retracted herself with a yelp.

"Shh, it's okay. That's just Daddy Draco, he won't harm you," Harry whispered soothingly, and the Chimaera automatically relaxed and allowed for Draco's hand to reach out and pet her.

"Daddy Draco?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrow considerably as a blush rushed up Harry's cheeks.

"Er, yeah I just..erm..."

"Just refrain from ever calling me that again and we will call it even," Draco smirked, "Now that we're up I might as well go find us some food. You can stay here...Kearia will want to adjust to being with you firstly. Then the quicker we get moving, the faster we can get to Hogwarts and rest up to get back to the Manor," he explained pointedly. Harry merely nodded, most of his attention completely centred on Kaeria, "Did I ever tell you that you were cute, Harry?" Draco asked as he stood up, still smiling down at the scene.

Harry's cheeks were blazing red now, but he shrugged it off the best he could. "Well, you most definitely are the cutest thing I have ever laid eyes on," Draco winked and with that he was gone off to traipse around the perimeter of the woods in search of breakfast.

* * *

 

_There's a serpent charmer, pair of shoes and wander_

_Speeing ticket, you're not leaving that last land of slaughter_

_Strange words that we hold on back into the river_

_Good girls come and kick you in the shin_

_There's a hopeful hunter with a hapless sense of wonder_

_And a million claw marks on the rock he hid his money under_

_Strange words that we hold on back into the river_

_And made men only want to live again._


	10. Naked As We Came

_She says "Wake up, it's no use pretending"_

_I'll keep stealing, breathing her._

_Birds are leaving over autumn's ending_

_One of us will die inside these arms_

_Eyes wide open, naked as we came_

_One will spread our ashes 'round the yard._

* * *

 

"Harry, you do know you don't have to babysit her," Draco scolded lightly, his arms were currently slung around Harry's front side as the brunette leaned his back against his chest, Draco was sitting against the trunk of a large tree.

They were watching Kearia playing in a clearing in the Black Forest. She had grown quite a bit in the past four days; the spikes on her tail had sharpened considerably, her eyes were more fierce and hungry than before, her mane was a beautiful golden stream and her hooves were now hardened and quick. She no longer yelped but growled instead, or roared, hissed or even purred when she was happy. Harry had grown just as attached to her as he had Draco, if not more. He didn't like letting the Chimaera out of his sight, even though she was nearly full-grown and double the size of themselves at this point; even bigger than her Mother had been. 

"I know...but I'm just worried she'll get lost if we don't keep an eye on her," Harry sighed, he sported a breath-taking smile as he watched Kearia jumping around happily, he truly cared for that creature, he had felt a connection to it after having defended themselves against her real Mother and carrying her so close for so long. Draco loved the affection he felt between the two, but he couldn't help but keep his focus mainly on Harry.

"She knows who her Mother is indefinitely at this point, and Chimaera's have a very keen sense of smell and she would be able to find you in a split second," Draco explained wearily, he did think, however, that Harry babied the creature way too much for its own good. He was even feeding her, which she could do on her own as she demonstrated the day after she was born, but why do the work when somebody else was willing to do it for you?

"Hmm...I guess you're right," Harry sighed heavily and leaned fully now into Draco, he had a hand placed on the blonde's thigh and the other one was wrapped around the hand on his chest hanging loosely. "Y'know, I'm kinda scared to go back. There's probably been so many rumours...The Daily Prophert articles must have been insane with speculation,"

"They probably still are," Draco muttered darkly, absolutely loathing all of those articles that had ever been printed about him and his family in that wretched pathetic excuse for a newspaper.

"And Ron and Hermione...what are they going to say about us? For that matter, what am I gonna tell them? Oh hey guys, sorry I've been gone so long...got ourselves pretty lost out there, oi but we are dating now! Just thought you should know," Harry sighed again, he definitely wasn't looking forward to that part.

"So that's it then? We are dating? I am the famous Harry Potter's boyfriend?" Draco teased gently, not that he minded in the least. He actually liked the sound of it.

"Er, if you want to be," Harry shuffled uneasily in his seat now, but Draco held him firmly against him.

"Of course I want to be, I do not think I have ever wanted anything more in my life...asides from a nice, hot shower right about now," Draco added in with a grin, Harry elbowed him slightly in the gut. "What? We have not properly bathed in ages! Look at my hair! It's all...greasy and gross, like Snape's! And look at my skin! My complexion has most definitely gotten itself ruined after years of careful consideration because of a couple of months of mud and dirt caked in it," Draco huffed.

Harry chuckled, "You're such a ponce," 

"Yeah, takes one to know one,"

"Oi, shove off," Harry elbowed him again, causing Draco to cough and glare down at the back of his head before squeezing him tightly in his arms.

"Harry?" Draco asked seriously after a moments pause.

"Hmm?"

"What was it like growing up for you? I mean, you know everything about my own childhood, couldn't you at least tell me now?"

Harry stilled in his lovers arms, his eyes dropped from Kearia and he tensed. "You know I lived with Muggles, right?"

"Of course, everybody knows that,"

"Yeah well...they weren't the nicest sorts of Muggles. They didn't tell me I was a Wizard, they told me my parents died in a car crash. They...well, wanted to squash the magic out of me growing up but they just couldn't. I didn't know a thing about magic until the day Hagrid came to collect me on my Eleventh birthday. I-I used to live in a cupboard under the stairs...it really wasn't so bad. As long as I kept to myself, everything was just fine," Harry sighed, he hated thinking about the Dursley's because he knew he didn't have to go back to them. That summer was supposed to be the last one he spent there, but obviously he had spent it elsewhere faraway from the Dursley's and Little Whinging.

"A cupboard?! What? But you're Harry Potter! And you didn't know magic...oh...Merlin's beard! If I had known this six years ago...!"

"You'd have used it against me," Harry cut him off easily, Draco made a sound to protest but Harry held up his hand, "Don't worry, I know it's different now and I know for sure that that's what you would've done. Don't worry about it, alright?" he sighed. "I just don't want to talk about the Dursleys, they're foul Muggles that I never have to see again,"

"They best be lucky that I never run into them," Draco growled protectively, his grip tighening on the boy in front of him.

"We should probably get walking again...but Kearia really does look like she's enjoying herself," Harry smiled out at the creature again, still wrapped up exploring her surroundings in the clearing, jumping this way and that, testing her abilities of climbing the trees and falling back down again only to quickly get back up. She would peer over at Harry every once and awhile to make sure he was still there before continuing on with herself.

"Hmm...well, I can think of much better things to do with our time than walk," Draco drawled suggestively, and in a quick moment he had Harry pinned on his back on the hard ground. He lowered himself on top of him and gently brought their lips together, he suckled Harry's bottom lip gently and massaged it with his own. Harry moaned and wrapped his arms around Draco's waist and pulled their bodies closely together, they immediately rocked their hips heatedly up against one another. Harry pushed his hand up the skin of Draco's back underneath his shirt, he felt electrified at the heat radiation off of it.

"Draco...I want you so bad..." Harry moaned, his mouth separating from the blonde's to breathe haughtly on his cheek. Draco smirked down devilishly at Harry.

"Well, Potter...lets see just  _how_  bad I can make you want me," Draco grinned at emerald eyes went wide in front of him and he retrieved his wand from his pocket. " _Redimio_ ," Draco's smirk widened considerably as ropes cast out from his wand and bound themselves around Harry's wrists and ankles. Even if he was miles away from Hogwarts, he was still a Slytherin indeed. 

Harry looked up at Draco with wide eyes, "Dr-Draco...what are you doing?"

"I already told you that, Potter," Draco purred, lowering himself down onto the captive boy, his body pressed harshly against his with exuberant heat, "I am seeing just how much you can want me,"

It wasn't long before Harry was thrashing on the forest floor, begging to be unbound.

* * *

 

_She says "If I leave before you, darling_

_Don't you waste me in the ground"_

_I lay smiling like our sleeping children_

_One of us will die inside these arms_

_Eyes wide open, naked as we came_

_One will spread our ashes round the yard._


	11. Waitin' For Superman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VERY SMUTTY STUFF  
> *Explicit Sexual Content Below - You Have Been Warned*  
> I have marked the actual sex scene with 'XXX' before and after, so if you wish to skip it, you may. :)

_I asked you a question and I didn't need you to reply_

_Is it getting heavy?_

_But then I realize, is it getting heavy_

_Well, I thought it was already as heavy as can be_

_Is it overwhelming to use a crane to crush a fly?_

_It's a good time for Superman to lift the sun into the sky_

_'Cause it's getting heavy_

_Well, I thought it was already as heavy as can be._

_Tell everybody waiting for Superman_

_That they should try to hold on the best they can_

_He hasn't dropped them, forgot them or anything_

_It's just too heavy for a Superman to lift._

* * *

 

Kearia roared experimentally, it vibrated through the edge of the Black Forest. Harry was beside her in a moments time, patting her head as she nuzzled against her 'Mothers' affection. Beaming, Harry turned to Draco who merely smirked at the entire scene. "You do know how absolutely ludacris this looks, right Potter?" he drawled playfully. It was nightfall and Kearia had just caught them food, and more than enough for the two of them that was for sure. There were a couple foxes and rabbits skinned, gutted and ready to be cooked. Harry offered four to Kaeria and him and Draco would share one fox, one rabbit just to spice it up.

"So the Forbidden Forest is..."

"Not even five minutes away," Draco completed his sentence quickly and with the wave of his hand.

"And it'll take us..."

"Till nightfall tomorrow at the latest to get to Hogwarts,"

"As long as we start off..."

"Tomorrow, early morning rise,"

"Are you sure it won't take...erm...longer?" Harry mumbled, turning the meat he had just skewered on a stick to roast over their small fire. Kaeria seemed weary, she padded around the tree they were leaning against before resting on the forest floor not more than a foot from Harry who sat with Draco leaning against him.

"Potter, are you trying to say that you would rather be lost out here with me than back there at the castle with your friends?" Draco teased lightly, but Harry knew well that he felt the exact same way as his companion.

"I reckon I'll be Flooing straight to the Burrow or Grimmauld Place once we get there...either way you most likely should not come with me, I don't think I want to have to deal with telling them everything at once," Harry sighed, he definitely wasn't looking forward to the following day and he was more than glad that Draco had decided upon stopping and resting early instead of doing so in the Forbidden Forest. It was Forbidden for a reason, afterall.

"Do not dwell on that now, Harry, for we still have one night left," Draco whispered comfortingly, he reached to the boy next to him and took him gently into his arms. They both immediately were relaxed as they wound themselves in a tight embrace, their limbs circling around each other's slender but fit bodies. Harry lost his face inside of Draco's messy, platinum hair and the scent of Lavender which somehow still wafted off of the blonde despite their rugged, dirtied state.

"Mmm...you always smell so good," Harry mumbled, dramatically sniffing again just so he could hear Draco chuckle lightly against his own hair.

Draco pulled and placed his hand under Harry's chin, bringing the brunette's face up to his own so they could look into each other's eyes. Harry's mouth dropped open immediately, for looking into those silver eyes so deeply always brought pure astonishment. He saw there the purest of emotions; caring, anxiety, wishfulness, and even love.

"Draco. I want to make love to you," Harry whispered, his eyes unblinking not wanting to miss a split second of the blonde's reaction.

Draco's mouth upturned into a blissful smile, his features lightened considerably. "Of course, Harry. I am all yours," he said silkily, leaning forwad to capture their lips together.

Harry immediately felt his groin heating with anticipation and pleasure. He decided to take control this time, especially since Draco was usually the one calling all the physical shots and this was their last night together. Harry leaned over, not allowing their lips to part as he did so, and unbuttoned Draco's blouse and let it fall to the floor. He pressed his hands eagerly on that pale skin, running up and down the smooth abdomen and teasing the small pink nipples he adored. He pinched and twisted them, causing Draco to moan into his mouth as their tongues swirled around one anothers.

Harry let his hands travel further down as he scooted closer to Draco, nearly ontop of him now. His hand was unfastening the button and zipper of Draco's slacks, and when he was finished with that he pushed him lightly down onto his back and climbed on top of him. They were soon in the same old rhythm of rocking their hips against one anothers, their throbbing members gliding harshly up and down and wanting more. Wanting pure, explicit, sensual release. _Finally._ Harry pulled himself away from Draco's mouth and grinned when he heard a whine, but Draco quickly quieted himself as Harry yanked off both of their trousers and boxers all in one. Harry took a moment to sit back on his knees, drinking in the naked sight of Draco Malfoy that was low and behold all for himself; flushed and ready. 

"Mmm...so beautiful," Harry whispered as his fingertips began to run themselves from Draco's ankles, all the way up to his inner thighs.

XXX

The blonde closed his eyes tightly and threw his head backwards, his body shook in pleasure as he felt one of Harry's hands grasp his hard member tightly at the base. "Do you want me Draco?" Harry whispered huskily from his place still on his knees.

" _Yes_ ," Draco hissed in response.

"Do you...need me?" Harry squeezed tighter at this, only to enjoy seeing Draco's hips buck beneath his touch.

"Yes, Gods yes!"

"...Are you sure?" Harry then reached down with his other hand and grabbed Draco's balls, giving them a small pleasurable squeeze causing the blonde to whimper uncontrollably.

"Fuck, Harry, yes I am sure! Please, I want you...neeeed you...oh, Merlin..." Draco gasped as Harry's hand slid further down...

Harry grinned widely as he felt the pleasure completely knotted up in his groin now, but he still wanted to see more of Draco writhing on the floor, begging for him, _needing_ him in a way he could have never imagined. Harry pushed one finger in the others entry way and was more pleased by the reaction; Draco's eyes flew up and locked immediately with Harry's, and all that they both felt was spoken there. Harry inched another digit inside and thrust them in with a purpose.

"Fuck Draco, do you know how hot you are?" Harry muttered more to himself as he began to ease his two fingers in and out of Draco's slowly lubricating hole as the blonde thrashed and moaned on the forest floor.

"Oh, oh, Harry c'mon...pleeease...more, oh Gods, fuuuuck!..." Draco cried, his eyes unable to be shut as he couldn't tear his gaze from Harry. 

Harry obliged by placing one more finger inside, sliding it into the tight orifice. He allowed this continue for a few minutes, his hand still squeezing tightly on his lovers shaft.  Suddenly Draco's eyes went wide and his gaze could not be broken from Harry's pleased one, "Fuck, right there!" he screamed, echoing through-out the surrounding forest.

"Right...oh, _here_?" Harry teased, plunging his fingers as deep inside as he could at the same angle as before. Draco shuddered beneath him and cried out once again.

"Yes, there! Oh, yes Harry, fuck!" Draco was screaming now. Not moaning, groaning, but actually just screaming with pleasure that raked through his entire body as Harry stimulated his prostate.

"Tell me what you want Draco,"

"You," Draco hissed.

"No...tell me what you want," Harry said more firmly, pulling out his fingers a bit causing the other boy to whimper.

"I-I want you, Harry, to be inside of me, to fill me...Merlin! Fuck me seven ways to Sunday, Potter, I don't give a damn just get _in_ me," Draco groaned but as he heard Harry chuckle lowly, he knew he'd get what he was asking for as the three digits removed themselves and the hand around his shaft released, causing him to immediately slacken his tensed muscles. 

"Mmm...I think I can do that," Harry smirked and readied himself on his knees, now hovering over top of his boyfriend and looking down at his face. They held one another's gazes strongly as Harry forced his tip inside of Draco's hole.

Draco immediately sighed with relief as he felt more and more of the member pushing inside of him. But he knew he didn't have all of it. Knowing he could have more, and most definitely wanting it, Draco grabbed a tight hold of Harry's hips and unsuspectingly pulled them harshly towards himself, forcing Harry to fully enter him. He groaned in a mixture of pain and pleasure and Harry gritted his teeth together, suppressing his own moan that rumbled deep in his chest. Draco kept one hand on the small of Harry's back, keeping him pushed fully inside of him, and one hand snaked its way up Harry's front and began to pinch and twist his dark nipple. Harry pulled himself out as much as Draco would let him before yanking him back inside.

Harry went down on his right elbow, allowing for better access for the both of them, as he now breathed hotly into Draco's neck as sweat began to stream down both of their backs. Harry pushed as deep as he could inside of Draco, but it seemed as though the blonde still wouldn't let him thrust in and out. "Ooooh, fuck Harry...I don't want you to...ahhh...ever, be...out of me!" Draco cried pleasurably, his body was in tremors now beneath the brunette who was absolutely rattled with nerves tickling with pleasure.

Bringing his hand down Draco's side, Harry felt the boy up and eventually left his hand clasping and kneading Draco's left buttocks cheek which allowed moans of pleasure to escape his mouth. Draco was momentarily distracted by this and loosened his grip on Harry who finally began to pull himself almost fully out before thrusting all the way back inside. Draco jumped at the sensation and screamed incoherently.

Harry thrust in and out, first slowly and hard but then he picked up his pace. Eventually it became fast, rough, the blonde screaming and writhing beneath him with his nails leaving scratch marks across Harry's backs begging for more. Harry was biting his lip painfully but he didn't seem to notice as husky moans were escaping his mouth, he changed his angle slightly and slithered out his tongue to lick the hollow of Draco's throat.

"Fuck! FUCK! Right there, oh fuck Gods, right there Harry!" Draco screamed, pushing himself towards the others shaft.

Harry quickly obliged, all the pleasure knotted up in his groin desperately wanting to be released. He rocked hard and fast. "Oh Merlin, Draco, so tight...so...good! Fuck, fuck, oh yessss..." Harry hissed into the others ear, sending Draco almost literally over the edge.

"Harry! HARRY!" Draco cried as he came all over his and Harry's abdomens, his body shuttering beneath him as he whimpered in pure pleasure.

Harry came shortly after, fully releasing his seed into Draco. Soon after, he pulled himself carefully out and collapsed on top of Draco. "Fuck, Draco," Harry whispered huskily as arms wrapped around him, "That was..."

XXX

"Amazing. It really was," Draco agreed, rolling both of them onto their sides as they lay by the fire now. "Though I would fancy a bed one of these days. Having rock, sticks and dirt all over my back is not something I have a kink for,"

"But I like my Draco dirty," Harry grumbled playfully, receiving a smack on the back of the head for that.

"I'm not hungry any more," Draco said decidedly, not wanting to move from being wrapped up in the naked warmth beside him. His head was nuzzled deeply into Harry's crook of his neck.

"Me neither," Harry agreed, softly kissing Draco on his forehead.

After a few minutes of silence, Draco spoke up tiredly. "Hey Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I-I love you," he stuttered and became more than nervous when Harry pulled away from him ever so slightly to peer down into his face.

Emerald eyes crashed into silver ones, Harry was beaming down at Draco. "I love you too, Draco. And not a thing in this world could ever change that," he said and then reached down to kiss him firmly on the lips before they wrapped themselves tightly around one another again. Harry slowly manoeuvred their bodies on top of their forgotten cloaks and then they fell asleep, blissfully together.

* * *

 

The next morning it was difficult to pull apart from one another, and they both thoroughly regretted it. But things needed to be done. They ate their extremely crispy (as in ridiculously burnt) fox and rabbit meat for breakfast, before stomping out the remains of the small crackling fire. Harry bent down next to Kearia and patted her soft, golden mane. She was quite large now, at least a quarter larger than her birth mother. 

"Kearia, darling," Harry cooed her awake gently, "Time to get going," he explained, and somehow it always seemed like she understood. The Chimaera awoke with a cat-like stretch, her dragon tail whipped around her body very narrowly missing hitting Draco and Harry both. She lapped out her large tongue onto Harry's hand as a sign of affection before standing up.

"Shall we get going then?" Draco offered his hand to Harry who shook his head gently, retrieving his wand from his pocket.

"We need to pay attention in here. We may not come across anything, or we could come across a Nundu or a school of Acromantula's," Harry explained, he didn't want to be distracted by Draco...although deeply, he really did, but he knew that it would endanger the both of them and he couldn't have that.

"You are right," Draco agreed, and the two began to solemnly start their walk. Most of it was done in silence and they shared sweet kissed every once and awhile and small, muttered 'I love you's. They were both still getting used to that term. 'Love'. Harry could tell he was in the Forbidden Forest now and they had been for at least four hours. The trees were closer together, there was less of a path to walk on, and everything just seemed quite a bit darker and there was an odd sort of energy around. Kearia took her time walking, doddling almost a hundred yards behind them.

Being a little paranoid, both boys kept their wands clasped in their hands and their eyes scanning their surroundings as their mind went over an array of hexes that could prove useful. Suddenly Harry heard a loud scurrying to their left, his head whipped around and his wand pointed outward as Draco stalled beside him. " _Stupefy!_ " he yelled, and the red light shot out and hit a youth Acromantula. Harry quickly ran through the trees towards its stunned body and whipped his head around in all directions.

"It looks like it was alone," Draco huffed beside Harry, who was still keenly looking outward.

"Yeah, it does. The Acromantula colony was quite a bit East in the forest, if memory serves me right," Harry explained slightly more relaxed.

"If...memory serves you right?" Draco stuttered, "And why in the world do you have a memory of where an Acromantula colony is?"

"Long story short. Me, Ron, Second Year...are we ever up to any good?" Harry joked, but shrugged and walked off, Draco quickly following behind with a sneer but letting it go for now. There was still a lot he didn't know about the boys past, but he would let him tell in time.

It was another hour before they ran into any other trouble, and it was merely a Jarvey which scared the bejesus out of Harry. "What the hell is that thing? Is that a ferret?" Harry screeched, his wand pointed two yards in the distance as the 'ferret' turned towards him and...sneered?

"Git, ugly git!" the voice came from...the ferret!

"It can talk?"

"It can only insult, really," Draco rolled his eyes and placed a hand on Harry's wand. "It is not going to harm us, it only likes hunting for Gnomes...see, look, he is going back into his hole to find some more," he said pointedly, as the Jarvey most definitely did run back into a hole in the ground just wide enough for itself to fit.

"Bloody hell, I didn't think creatures could talk like that!"

"Centaurs can talk, can't they? And Merpeople, what about them?" Draco asked, recieving a nudge in the gut for being smart. "I was just saying," he shrugged but smirked anyway.

"We must be more on the outskirts of the forest," Draco began explaining, "I was expecting to find much more than that in here," he said, looking pointedly up at the sky. It was getting late. They had been walking for hours now, and it was well into the afternoon as the sun looked about to set in less than two hours.

"Are we really that close to Hogwarts?" Harry grumbled.

"Yes, about two hours of a walk," Draco said solemnly, he reached out with his hand and this time Harry took it and grasped it like there was no tomorrow.

And then they heard a loud, roar sounding from behind them. They whipped around to see Kearia grinding her back hooves into the ground and growling, bracing herself for attack up at a Centaur whose back was to Harry and Draco.

Harry immediately and without thought raced over towards his Chimaera and with his wand pointed at the Centaur. The Centaur noticed the extra presence and cocked his head in Harry's direction.

"Mister Harry Potter, we meet again. But at a grave time, it seems. This is a Chimaera, a highly dangerous..."

"Firenze? I know what she is! And her name is Kearia!" Harry spat, his wand still raised at Firenze who raised an eyebrow at Harry and turned fully towards him, unsmartly in Harry's opinion as Kearia seemed so close to attack.

"And how did she come to have a name, Mister Harry Potter?"

"We-we killed her Mother...listen, Firenze, just back off and she won't attack alright?" Harry said uneasily, he didn't want either of the creatures to get hurt.

"Of course, it is just rare...impossible...when one comes across a trained Chimaera,"

"She's not trained! She's just...mine," Harry blushed deeply, finally lowering his wand and he motioned to Kearia to come to him, reluctantly she did so but kept the corner of her eye on Firenze.

"Young Mister Harry Potter and Mister Draco Malfoy, many have been searching for you for many weeks now. The stars told us that you would not come to harm as we told Albus Dumbledore, and here you are. It is befit to assume that you now are returning to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, we are. We're almost there, aren't we?" Harry asked, shifting uneasily beside Kearia as he patted her mane soothingly. A deep purr sounded in the back of her throat as Draco joined Harry's side, clutching onto his hand and glaring up at the Centaur. He never liked Centaurs, ever.

"Close, but the forest is dangerous. I would like to assist you in completing your journey there. Please," Firenze bent down onto his front knees, allowing access to his back. "I can only hold one but it does not look like the Chimaera shall mind taking a rider either," he explained.

"I can...ride her?" Harry asked, eyes wide.

"Of course, as long as she trusts you," Firenze said, and Draco soon found himself reluctantly climbing onto the Centaurs back.

"I'm gonna get on you, okay Kearia? We're gonna go that way, okay?" Harry pointed in the direction in which he knew Hogwarts was in, he had been in these parts of the forest quite a few times before. Kearia seemed to understand as she lowered herself to the ground.

Harry smiled brightly as he climbed ontop of her and put his arms around the Chimaera's thick neck. He cast a glance at an uneasy looking Draco who merely was sneering at the back of Firenze's head. "Now, Mister Harry Potter and Mister Draco Malfoy, I shall escort you there in no time," Firenze promised.

And he was right, in less than thirty minutes they had arrived outside of the Forbidden Forest and onto the Hogwarts Grounds not far from Hagrid's Hut. Harry's face was wind burnt, Kearia had rode faster and harder than Firenze ever could. She seemed not phased by it, however, and in a playful mood as she bucked Harry gently off of her and scampered around the clearing. Harry was grinning broadly at her, and then his eyes went up to the castle before him and his grin faltered. 

Draco was suddenly at his side, their fingers entwined as Firenze bid his farewell and good luck. The two boys looked at one another. "Are you ready?" Draco asked.

"Ready as I will ever be, my love," Harry sighed heavily and then they began to walk towards the castle. "C'mon, Kearia," he called, not willing to leave her out on the Grounds during nightfall by herself even though he knew she was more than capable, he had to be concerned with her - he was a Mother after all.

And so the three companions walked slowly up and into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

 

_Is it getting heavy?_

_Well, I thought it was already as heavy as can be._

_Tell everybody waiting for Superman_

_That they should try to hold on the best they can_

_He hasn't dropped them, forgot them or anything_

_It's just too heavy for a Superman to lift._


	12. Each Coming Night

_Will you say when I'm gone away_

_"My lover came to me and we'd lay_

_In rooms unfamiliar but until now"_

_Will you say to them when I'm gone_

_"I loved your son for his sturdy arms_

_We both learned to cradle then live without"_

* * *

 

They were flanked before they could even hit the first step of the staircase outside of the Great Hall, immediately the two boys froze holding each others hands tightly as Kearia revved up and roared, echoing through-out the stone walls and down into the dungeons. Thankfully, it was still a few weeks before school started so there wouldn't be any students to explain that incident to.

Professor McGonagall stood with her mouth dropped and wand pointed out at the Chimaera, Professor Dumbledore was descending the stairs from a storey up, Professor Snape and Professor Lupin were busying themselves with rushing over towards the teenagers, questions rushing out and stumbling over one another.

"Where have you _been!_?"

"Are you alright?"

"What the f _uck_ is that thing?"

"Is that a Chimaera?"

"Attack, it!"

"Albus! A Chimaera has found its way into Hogwarts, we must all attack at once...Potter, Draco, ready your wands and..."

"Kearia, heal!"

"Who the hell is Kearia?"

"Minerva," Dumbledore's calm and collective voice stilled everybody as they turned towards him, the two boys still hadn't moved or spoken except for Harry calming the creature in the entrance way. "Kindly lower your wand and I do believe that the Chimaera shall calm itself," he explained, now only a few steps away from Harry and Draco who were staring up at him.

Finally realization fully clicked in and Harry removed his hand from Draco's as if it burnt, the blonde seemed unaffected by this but the adults didn't let the action slip as it had only brought attention to the fact that they had indeed being holding hands and not just standing extremely close to one another. "Remus, you're alright? Thank Merlin, I was scared they had gotten you and...and I was thinking the worst!" Harry admitted, a great big smile broke across his face as he turned to the older man and threw his arms around his neck.

Remus, though thoroughly shocked, slowly hugged Harry back before pulling him away and looking straight across into his face. "Where the devil have you been? Do you have any idea how long you've been gone for? Not a word, nothing! The only way we knew you were  _alive_  was the fact that Voldemort hadn't gone on some sort of rampage!" Remus hissed, he definitely wasn't happy with Harry and if not he was more unhappy with the Slytherin standing to his side.

"Ah, come now Remus, the boys look to be quite out of their sorts," Dumbledore said calmly with a twinkle in his blue eyes, "Lets say we all conjoin for tea and biscuits up in my Office? Lovely," he said with a smile, leading the way up the stairs. Everybody gaped for a few moments before the adults wearily began to follow the Headmaster, but Professor McGonagall was still facing a growling Chimaera.

"Professor, can we...I bring Kearia up as well? I know she very well won't fit  _into_  the office but she can nap outside or something," Harry said with a tinge of pink on his cheek, he had gotten so used to him and Draco acting more as One and said 'we' instead of 'I'.

"Of course, Mister Potter, as long as it is assured she does not harm-"

"She won't, I promise," Harry interupted quickly before turning away and walking towards Kearia.

He put a hand on the side of her mane and she nuzzled against it, all eyes were wide and gawking at him except for Draco and Dumbledore, both who were just walking up the stairs silently. Kearia was still glaring at McGonagall who had yet to lower her wand, "Shh, come now love," Harry whispered to the Chimaera, petting the back of her neck gently as it was her weak spot it seemed.

Kearia purred loudly and any sense of danger was gone at her Mother's reassurance, McGonagall eyed the scene incredulously before lowering her wand and carefully stalking off to follow the Headmaster. "Harry...how did you..." Remus began, but was quickly cut off.

"I'll tell you everything once we're up in his office," he said simply, and allowed the two men to lead the way up as him and Kearia (taking six or more steps easily at a time) followed.

Around the Fifth Floor, Kearia was feeling playful and began nipping at Harry's left arm. "Cut it out," he hissed, her tongue tickled his exposed skin as he had his cloak slung over his shoulder. Kearia continued and he giggled underneath his breath, " _Kearia_ ," he chided again. Instead of continuing to nip, in a swift movement Kearia butted Harry's behind and with her head and the back of her large neck, scooped up the brunette onto her back. Feeling dazed and slightly disoriented for a moment, Harry blinked a few times and then grabbed a firm hold of the end of her mane, smirking gently.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Harry whispered into her ear, scratching behind it and getting comfortable for the rest of his ascent. It wasn't until he looked up from Kearia that he noticed he had three pairs of eyes staring at him once again. He shot them a look as to say, 'What? Can I help you with something?', and they all scoffed with wide surprised eyes before turning away and finished the last flight of steps to Dumbledore's office entryway.

Harry climbed off Kearia with his ears burning, realizing that all eyes were fixated on him other than Draco who was waiting rather impatiently by the Pheonix Statue. Harry bent down to the creature and patted her gently on the head as she lay down on the stone floor, "Stay here. Rest, nap. Don't break anything, just roar if anything's wrong and I'll come get y," Harry kissed her in between the eyes, she purred and nuzzled into his face. Dumbledore was smiling brightly at this as the other three Professor's were still utterly...astonished...at a complete loss for words.

He finally parted from Kearia, feeling slightly remorseful as it was going to be the longest they were apart and they only time they weren't in each others sight range since the day she was born, which happened only to be eight days ago. It felt like longer to Harry already as their bond was so strong. So, with all of their thoughts rushing in all sorts of directions, the three Professors and two teenagers joined Dumbledore in his office. It seemed he had already gotten a House Elf to bring tea and biscuits on his ascent there, as there was a plate set for everybody and more on a tray settled on the Headmaster's desk. Candles lit up the room, and Fawkes was perched in his usual spot. Harry felt very strange being back in the Headmaster's office, it was a feeling he couldn't quite place.

They all settled in chairs circled around the desk, except for Snape who hovered beside the Headmaster's desk. Dumbledore had his hands folded in his lap as he leaned back relaxed in his chair. Harry and Draco were both nervous, tweedling with their thumbs, as they sat beside each other and Harry beside Remus as well as McGonagall on the other side of him.

It was silent for a few minutes, everybody awaited Albus' cue as he was allowing all of their thoughts to be mulled over. "Now let us start with the beginning, shall we boys? I do hope you are in well enough condition to do so,"

"Er, yes, thank you sir, we're both fine," Harry assured him, automatically speaking for both him and Draco.

Draco sighed heavily, "I am guessing you know as far as Lupin could tell you?"

"Although  _Professor_  Lupin," Dumbledore began pointedly earning a snide sneer from Draco for correcting him, "gave us valuable information, we also know what the captured Death Eaters were forced to tell us,"

"Who did you capture? We know it wasn't Voldemort because we saw him and..." Harry began, now all adults were looking at him with surprise. "What? Oh, no not like...well...I don't think he, erm...we'll get to that later! So who did you capture?" he blushed, ' _I should really start thinking before I speak_ ,' he chided himself.

"We captured both Nott Jr. and Sr., Macnair and Thornburry. Not much but it was only a small amount of his inner circle, so we got him where it hurts most," Remus filled in quickly with a curteous nod from the Headmaster.

"We have knowledge up until the point where the two of you suddenly disappeared. We would all also like an explanation on as to why you disappeared, if that would not be asking so much," Dumbledore smiled kindly, but his questioning was directed more at Draco as he looked at the blonde who simply looked back, not intimidated by the old man.

"Then it is safe to say you all know I refused the Dark Mark? Well I standby my actions, I meant everything I said there that night and so much more that I couldn't say just then. I needed to think fast, I mean Voldemort was running at us pissed off as all hell...so I thought of Side-Along Apparition. I had never done it before so I didn't want to go far and I barely knew where we were so I decided to apparate somewhere else in the Nagril Forest," Draco took a deep breath, and then he gave a glance over at Harry.

"Why didn't you just apparate back here?" Remus growled, he had obviously been wound up over this for quite a few months and Harry silently felt bad for him.

"Remus, I can assure you that Mister Malfoy did the correct thing. He would have most definitely splinched himself or Harry, or the both of them, apparating that far. I also assume that is why it took you so long to find your way back here? Because you were afraid to apparate in a place you did not know?" Albus' eyes were simply twinkling and brightly so, Draco was glaring at him coldly and Harry barely regarded the Headmaster as he was busying himself with his hands still.

"Exactly," Draco responded tightly and then thought to himself, ' _I despise how that old man knows more than he should,_ '.

"How did you travel?" Dumbledore questioned.

"By foot. Well, I mean, obviously by foot but we, er," Harry paused for a second before collecting himself and continuing, "We decided to walk in the very general direction of Hogwarts. Draco said he knew the forests well by it, since he grew up owning half of the Black Forest," Harry couldn't help but smirk as he teased the boy beside him, "We ate at least once a day, so don't worry about that. We didn't really run into any trouble, other than a few knicks and bends. We came across the Malfoy Manor and that's how we know Voldemort wasn't caught or subdued, whatever you wanna call it. He was there, so were a lot of other Death Eaters..."

"I do believe my Father has turned the Manor into base camp," Draco interupted dryly with a scowl on his face.

"I can confirm that the Headquarters had been changed, though I was not yet aware of their whereabouts," Snape said affirmingly and Draco nodded curtly in his direction before turning to glare at the Headmaster again, he never liked that man.

"Ah yes, well that explains that now doesn't it? I say nobody has had a dribble of tea," Dumbledore added with a wink, and everybody automatically reached for their cups and took a few tentative sips except for Draco who kept staring on. 

"You two didn't get injured or anything at all? I'm still quite surprised you were able to survive that long at all! It's been three months!" Remus was gaping again, the tea didn't help much with that problem.

Harry sighed and looked at him with a sad smile but it was Draco who spoke, "Harry here is quite inventive. Not only can he adept accordingly to situations, but he was a natural hunter. He's also pretty quick to fire off hexes at any threatning creatures," he added pointedly.

Harry blushed a deep crimson red with the compliments from his lover, "Erm, I couldn't have gotten through two days without going insane if it weren't for Draco," he said and then immediately regretted it as he blushed harder, Draco smirked with satisfaction.

"Can somebody  _please_  explain to me why we have a fully grown CHIMEARA outside of this room NAPPING?" McGonagall screamed, she was standing up from her chair now red in the face. It was the first time she had spoken, and apparantly she had been holding back her question for awhile now it seemed.

Everybody blinked a few times in her direction and she quickly calmed herself, sitting back down upon Albus' cool, disapproving gaze. "I do believe we would all care for an explanation, if you would boys?" he turned towards them expectantly.

"You see, sir, it kind of happened on  _accident_...well, erm, maybe perhaps more on a whim..." Harry cleared his throat looking very nervous, Draco was raising an eyebrow over at him with his arms crossed. It was interesting to watch him bumble like an old fool, but Draco gave him the grace and interupted him.

"Quite a few weeks ago now, we ran into a Chimeara. A full-blooded, Mother Chimeara protecting her territory. Any natural reaction would be to..."

"Runaway?" Remus offered tersley.

"Those were my thoughts at first," Draco admitted tightly, "But I knew that this would only provoke the creature faster. I know they are highly dangerous but they use their size and odd physical nature to befuddle its enemy first, leaving it dazed so it can attack its one death blow. So I knew I would have better chances of surviving by staying absolutely put.

"Harry, however, seems to be immuned to anything strange and unexplainable," Draco teased gently, enjoying the red that rose up in the brunette's cheeks, "He reacted fast enough to send his Patronus out there followed by mine. He then used...what was it?" he turned to the boy who was looking in his lap and mumbled something only the blonde could hear, "Oh yes, he used Dragon's Fury and then..."

"Potter? Where did you  _learn_  that?" it was Professor Snape who spoke with absolutely confoundment.

"Erm...well, during mine and Remus' Advanced Dark Arts lessons I was allowed access to the Restricted Section to research some of the spells I was being taught. I came across it once and thought it'd be a useful thing so I practiced it on my own because I knew Remus would-"

"-Kill you with my bare hands if I knew how ridiculously and utterly dangerous that is! Do not for one moment tell me that you used the Sacrifice end of it as well!" he screeched rather Mother-like, and one look at Harry's face said it all, "Harry JAMES Potter, what were you thinking? You could have died! Do you have any idea how close a Patronus is to a person? You took so much energy out of yourself, that is very advanced magic! DARK magic! Sacrificing the Patronus is just like sacrificing yourself, how in Merlin's blazes you are still here and breathing for that matter! Well!" Remus threw up his arms in exasperation, by now he was pacing the office with all eyes on him. He suddenly became aware of this and abruptly stopped, blushing and crossing his arms across his chest but refusing to sit.

"Remus I-I had practiced it, I'd already done it at least five times!" Harry spluttered in his immediate retort.

"Plus, if he had not done it we would not have gotten out alive with that thing dead,"

"Don't call it a thing! That's  _her_  daughter out there!" Harry hissed slightly angry at Draco who only smirked further, having too much fun with the entire conversation.

"Her daughter?" McGonagall sounded absolutely mortified now, "So, Mr Potter, you managed to not only subdue a fully grown Chimeara but one has also choosen you as its Mother and you have now trained it?"

"With Draco's help," he said quickly and then scowled, "And she isn't trained! She's not a household pet she's...Kearia. A living, breathing, feeling, emotional and conscious being! Not an animal!" Harry glowered, Draco reached out and gently touched his forearm and he whipped his head towards him and smiled shyly at the contact.

"Harry, you are way too much of a Mother," Draco teased and cooed all at once before retracting his hand and the two turned back towards the four adults.

"Does that, er, clear everything up?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I do believe so, yes," Dumbledore nodded happily, "Both of you boys are fitted for a big meal, if I do say so myself. On to the Hospital Wing, dinner will be waiting for you and I'll Firecall Madame Pomfrey the important details and she should be ready for your arrivals. Me and your Professors need to have a conversation about the circumstances regarding Lord Voldemort, we will be down momentarily," Dumbledore explained.

Usually Harry would beg to be there to hear whatever it was they were talking about, but a big meal prepared by House Elves sounded much more appealing and he jumped up from his chair almost too fast. "Alright, see you down there," he raised hurriedly and stole one more sad smile with Remus before jolting out of the room, Draco not far behind.

Harry gently awoke Kearia and got her to follow them down to the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey was indeed waiting their arrival. She didn't seem the least bit surprised by the presence on a Chimeara, but she was awed.

"I need to check you both over before you eat, make sure everythings in the right place. Come, I've set you up at the far end," she explained, but her eyes never fully left Kearia who didn't seem to awknowledge her presence. Harry turned to the creature as Draco walked over to the corner.

"Now, love, sit outside and we'll be back but it might be longer. Those people from before will be coming back, let them pass," Harry said firmly, the creature blinked up at him and he somehow knew she understood. She wasn't a common creature, afterall, nobody had knowledge just how intelligent Chimeara's actually were. They could be close to Centaurs, for that matter. Harry settled himself on the bed next to Draco who was already having the Mediwitches wand hover over him, she was muttering beneath her breath and looking down intently. Harry lay and suddenly never felt more comfortable, he had forgotten what real beds felt like!

Draco was smiling at him adoringly, "Feels good, doesn't it?" he mouthed to Harry.

"Soooo good," Harry returned with a wink that made Draco blush.

"You seem a little fit for wear, but after a goodnights rest and some Nourishing Potions along with that meal of yours, you should be bright as light!" Madame Pomfrey chippered and handed him the Potion in question, he eyed the green substance wearily before downing it and sitting straight up to retrieve his tray of food the House Elves had left on his bedside table.

"Now, Mister Potter, your turn," she said grimly, "How many times have you been in here, boy? I swear you spend more time here than in your classes,"

"I know, weird idn't it?" Harry smirked at her, and she merely frowned and continued her examination. Draco looked over at Harry sadly, ' _Why had he been in here so many times? What more happened to Harry Potter that I don't know...'_ he wondered, that feeling that he would never fully know the boy coming up to him once again.

Once Pomfrey was done and leaving them to their privacy, after hugging Harry quickly and thanking he was alright, the two boys began to eat their dinner. It was a hearty meal of chicken legs, rice, beans, and potatoes. As they were nearly finished, all those who had been in Dumbledore's office came in through the entrance and strode immediately in their direction.

"Bloody hell, you'd think they were a ... what is those Muggles call them? Dupergero Team?" Draco furrowed his brow in thought and Harry rolled his eyes at him.

"It's called a Superhero Team, Draco," he scoffed gently but then couldn't help but chuckle as he thought about that and Dumbledore leading the three Professor's all with billowing cloaks and stern faces. "You're so right," he giggled under his breath.

They all sat in chairs around their bed, Dumbledore directly beside Draco and Remus directly beside Harry. "The plan goes as such," Dumbledore got right down to business, "We knew your training was at its highest level, Harry m'boy, we had known this ever since before Christmas. You kept requesting further lessons but we did not incline because there were no such thing as more advanced magic than what we were teaching you," he said easily, but was quickly cut-off by Draco looking wide-eyed and astonished at Harry who was blushing into the remainder of his meal.

"The most advanced magic, Harry? What in the devil were you doing, Wandless Unforgiveable's?" Draco hissed, he was definitely a little surprised to say the least.

"Erm...well...yeah that's part of it," Harry muttered slowly.

"That's part of it..I..by Merlin, you-I-I think I need to sit down," Draco's eyes were wide and his face was hanging open. He had never heard such a thing in his life. To even think that Harry was that strong! He knew that the Dark Lord couldn't even cast Unforgiveable's wandless!

It was safe to say that if Draco had any doubts that the Light would win this War, he had none now.

"Draco, you _are_ sitting and close your mouth it is rather unbecoming," Snape drawled, breaking the blonde's trance who sneered at his Potions Master.

"As I was saying," Dumbledore coughed gently and all eyes were back on him beside Draco who was looking at Harry's face directly and the brunette wiggled under his gaze, "We all believed you were thoroughly prepared to face the Dark Lord, the only problem was finding him. Now we have all agreed, since the specifics of his current location are now known, that you are more than ready to face Tom Riddle if you can face a Chimeara at sixteen and live to tell the tale. Whatever was 'power the Dark Lord knows not', I do believe you have acquired it by now," Dumbledore said with reference to the Prophecy.

Harry was looking between all the adult faces. Finally he was going to be brought to Voldemort and not only that be allowed to face him! No longer were the adults going to shove him away in a dark corner and hide him away from the big scary You-Know-Who! They were actually going to let him fight! Harry was beaming ridiculously and Draco was giving him a strange look.

"Potter, what in codswallop is wrong with you?" Draco asked befounded.

"It's always been his dream to get out there and fight, but he knew me nor many others were going to let him get near enough to do it," Remus offered softly, Harry looked at him in approval because that was exactly how he felt.

"Well, we couldn't have the great Harry Potter running off and dying! Do you have any idea how horrible of a reputation that would give us?" Snape hissed and Harry glared over at him but knew that the Professor meant a bit more than he said and immediately softened his gaze.

"Give it a few days rest and then we will make our plans closer to our departure," Dumbledore said and then stood up, "I do believe I must speak with Minerva and Severus. Remus, you are welcome to keep company of the boys as Mister Weasley and Miss Granger make their awaited return here,"

"They're coming?" Harry's face broke into a hug grin as he dropped the contents of his dinner plate onto the floor with a loud clatter.

"Honestly, Harry, control yourself," Draco whispered whilst rolling his eyes as he reached for his wand and quickly 'Scourgify'd everything.

"I have already informed them that there is something important waiting for them in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. They are Flooing to my office any moment now, so if you would please excuse me..." Dumbledore then made his exit with a large smile. Snape and McGonagall weren't far behind him.

Remus turned to Harry with a grin, "I'm so glad you're alright, Harry. I had no idea what I was going to do...I mean we tried everything! Even a Locator's Spell!"

"You tried that? Why didn't it work then?" Draco asked curiously.

"Well there are two reasons it cannot work. One being the person is dead and the other being..." Remus stopped talking and looked uneasily between the two boys who both looked back curiously, the older man bit his lower lip, "...what is the nature of your relationship with Malfoy, Harry?"

"W-what?" Harry stuttered.

"Excuse me sir, but how is that any of your business?" Draco seethed.

"It's just that the Locator's Spell doesn't work if the person does not feel like leaving wherever it is they were. Harry must have been enjoying his time with you...if that meant...ahem," Remus coughed his way out of finishing that sentence.

Draco raised an eyebrow and turned towards Harry who was blushing madly now and looking interestedly at the ceiling. "You really enjoyed it that much that you ignored the pull of a Locator's Spell?" he asked incredulously, that was an incrediably strong feeling to have.

"Of course," Harry said at once feeling Draco's doubt in his words, "I said I love you and I meant it," he admitted aloud and then turned absolutely crimson all over as he remembered Remus was sitting beside him.

If the werewolf was surprised, he definitely didn't show it. "I do believe Ron and 'Mione would be liking an explanation, but if you're happy I'm happy," Remus assured Harry who smiled thankfully at him. "I have so many more questions for you...but I know you two must be tired and drained from, well, just about everything! The full moon's tonight and I do fear that my wolfsbane isn't as strong as the last dosage, I need to get myself to the dungeons," Remus sighed and wearily stood up from his chair.

Harry gaped at the man, "Remus! Oh Remus, I forgot, I'm sorry! Please, hurry, I Hope you feel alright! You have Pain Reliever's?" he hurriedly asked.

"More than enough, thank you Harry," Remus smiled kindly and then drooped down to the Hospital bed to embrace Harry tightly once more before pulling back and smiling gently over at Draco too. "You two have a short night, you hear? Need that rest," he winked and then was out of the Hospital Wing in a slow, teetered walk.

"What's with you and Lupin?" Draco asked immediately.

"Erm, he's my Dad's old best friend...well one of them anyway, and he's the only surviving Marauder now that Peter was killed during Voldemort's last attack the Order and I had successfully ended. I just think all the erm, circumstances brought us close. Both of us losing Sirius and all," Harry sniffed gently and Draco was moving across the distance between their beds with his hand outstretched but stopped at a shrill scream from outside the Hospital.

"What the bloody hell is a Chimeara doing in Hogwarts? Herm! We need to run!" Ron's voice sounded through-out the entire floor.

"No, Ronald, wait! Don't turn your back on it, it'll only attack faster! And look, it's sleeping!" Hermione said pointedly, "Obviously this is the surprise that Dumbledore had for us...don't look at me like that, I haven't any idea why but this is quite the..." her voice trailed off as she looked up at the Hospital doors which Harry was now leaning against gently with a small smile on his relaxed face, Draco was beside him and leaning as well but he was scowling at the two instead, "...surprise," she finished dryly.

Ron looked up to what had gotten her so distracted and so many emotions passed through his face and then he immediately forgot about the Chimeara. He bounded over towards Harry and threw his arms around the brunette's neck. "Harry! Harry, is this really you?" He asked, hugging as tight as he could promptly suffocating Harry.

"Ron...can't...breathe!" Harry pushed him harshly off before smiling at him and punching him playfully in the arm.

"Kearia won't hurt a thing, she is resting of course as Granger so helpfully supplied," Draco drawled boredly as all eyes turned on him now, but Harry couldn't keep that stupid smile off his face.

"I think we all best go inside, I know you've guys got plenty of questions..." Harry sighed resolutely and turned to lead the way into the Hospital Wing.

"Mate, in First Year you disappeared through a wall of flame and not only retrieved the Philosopher's Stone but also successfully fought You-Know-Who. In Second Year you left me at the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets and didn't come back for  _hours_. In Third Year you and Hermione time travelled and completely changed the course of our own history, in a manner of speaking. In Fourth Year you saw You-Know-Who rise from the dead inside of the Triwizard Tournament maze through a Portkey. In Fifth Year you were having dream prophecies and even became a snake that quite literally attacked my Father..." Ron trailed off as all eyes were on him, Draco was staring with astonishment. ' _Had Harry really down all those things?_ ' the blonde thought to himself, thinking most had been pure rumour.

"I can admit I've had questions before, but so help me Merlin I can't think of one god damn question I could ask you now!" 

* * *

 

_Will you say when I'm gone away_

_"Your Father's body was judgement day_

_We both dove and rose to the riverside"_

_Will you say to me when I'm gone_

_"Your face has faded but lingers on_

_Because light strikes a deal with each coming night"_


	13. It's Over

They arrived with no more than seventy-five Aurors and Order of the Pheonix members. They immediately surrounded the perimeter of the Malfoy Manor, flanking the exits as the Ministry for Magic cut-off their Floo network and Dumbledore concentrated on erecting the strongest wards he could around the ones already in place, making it impossible for inside or outside Apparition. They had come prepared this time. Kearia stood growling behind her mother, she could sense the darkness swarming all around her. Harry was looking desperately out into the forest beyond the Manor, how much he longed to return there was a feeling he didn't know would occur but it did almost constantly now.

' _This is the night,_ ' he reminded himself coldly, ' _You are going to kill Voldemort and end it all tonight_ ,' and with confidence he led the way into the Manor, Draco scurrying after him. 

"The Death Eaters that are here are most likely in a panic, formulating some type of plan in the dungeons. Here, take a left," Draco immediately ordered once the three were in the house. The rest of them were not to follow, they would await Harry's orders to do so for it might be easier to lure the Dark Lord into a fight.

The house seemed empty, at an alarming rate. Harry cursed his way down to the dungeons, Draco navigating as their wands were gripped in their hands and their eyes darting each and every way.

It had been six days since they returned to Hogwarts, and after repeating their adventures numerous times mostly to Harry's friends, and an extensive amount of bedrest, the two felt ready to make their move. Harry had eventually become too anxious to sit still, and that's when Dumbledore had set up this entire ambush. Since the Ministry of Magic recognized Voldemort's return now there was a lot more extra support than their other ambush's, or rescue missions rather. No more were the Light side hiding, scurrying away and keeping away from battle, no more of that. Now they were ready to fight, wands blazing.

"Ah yes, we've been expecting you... _Son_ ," a voice hissed as they were nearing the dungeons. Draco's entire body went stiff and his face was taut, he looked up at his looming Father who peered back down at him with his wand jabbed in his son's throat and a venomous glance.

"I would kill you, you know," he drawled, "but the Dark Lord has other plans for a traitor like yourself. Come, Potter, I think..." Lucius' voice went dead as his eyes scanned Harry and then the creature barring its teeth behind him. Lucius faltered completely and stuck out his wand at it, a hex on his lips but Harry was throwing up a shield quickly enough to absorb it.

A murderous look crossed Harry's features as he pushed a still stunned Draco out of the way and stepped before the head of the Malfoy Estate, "Lucius...you'll learn to keep your wand away from Kearia or you'll have to deal with  _me_  directly," Harry hissed, his own wand readied at the old man who was sneering downwards, wishing to be able to kill the boy right then and now but he knew the Dark Lord would end up taking his own life.

"Draco..." Harry began softly and cocked his head gently over at the still blonde, "Now!" he ordered and Draco sprang into immediate action.

" _Expillearmus!_ " he screamed, white light pushed towards his Father who was knocked off his feet as his wand flew into his grasp, a smirk curled around Draco's lips. " _Stupefy!_ " Lucius, who had been attempting to collect his wits, was promptly stunned on the floor of the Manor now.

Harry turned towards Kearia and nodded who turned away and bounded towards the entrance of the Manor. They had planned that upon her coming back outside, a select group of Order members were to infilitrate as well, Kearia would lead the way to wherever Harry was. That would give Harry and Draco at least ten minutes.

Grabbing ahold of Draco and leaving stunned Lucius, they started off quickly. "Are there any wards on the dungeons?" Harry asked quickly, his eyes darting around the pitch black Manor. "No...and how do you have any idea where you're going?" Draco hissed.

"Following Voldemort's pull," Harry mumbled, still running with his adrenaline pumping. He had been waiting for this day for years, and there was no doubt or fear that he would most definitely win.

Draco and Harry stopped in front of a door to the dungeons, Draco had already explained what would be on the other side. It was an office, of sorts, more like a meeting room. Couches pulled around in a circle, no windows, just stone walls. But as they entered, it seemed the couches had been removed. And Harry and Draco found themselves with over thirty wands pointed at them in a circle, much like the one on the night of Initiation.

Harry hissed in pain but ignored his burning scar as Voldemort clearly stepped into view in the middle of the circle, approaching the boys. Harry didn't take a moments time to approach him as well, without even a glance at Draco who was numb with fear. "Harry Po-"

" _Stupefy! Expillearmus! Avada Kedavra! Reducto! Obscuro! Bombardus! Crucio!"_  Harry screamed every curse and hex he could think of in one go, and watched all but one be easily deflected by Voldemort who was sneering, but that quickly fell as the Cruciatus Curse vibrated through the creatures body. Harry welled up all of his hatred for the man over the years, all his love for the ones who had been murdered by him, and pushed it all out of him and through the tip of his wand into the curse that had stuck, Voldemort unable to deflect so many in a row. Harry had planned this, he knew that he should storm in and start shouting off hexes. No time for conversation, no time for mere thought, the only thing that was important was action.

Voldemort hissed and fell to his knees, but he was battling with himself and refusing to cry out in pain as his body jerked and contorted. Eventually he threw it off but Harry didn't lower his wand as he was still gathering himself from using so much magical energy. Voldemort slowly rose to his knees, the Death Eaters awaiting his instructions.

"Do you know why nobody does something as foolish as that, Mister Potter?" Voldemort hissed, slowly sauntering over towards the boys where Draco stood struck still.

"Because...it uses up so much energy that you have none left...for a normal person..." Harry's lips smirked darkly, something Draco had never laid eyes on before. A whole new kind of angry, dark aura surrounded Harry as the Dark Lord approached, the brunette didn't move one bit as he did but merely stood there...smirking! There were quite a few things Draco had found out about Harry and his past that had amazed him in the last couple of days, but still after all that being able to stand there and smirk at Voldemort? Draco hadn't any idea how Harry did it, as he was still fear-struck.

"Exactly. And now you can't do a thing,  _Expillearmus_ ," Voldemort said with ease, and Harry's wand flicked from his hand and into Voldemort's but Harry's smirk didn't fall.

"Did you ever wonder why I was chosen for the Prophecy?" Harry asked, smirk widening.

Voldemort chuckled darkly, vibrating through the room, "It was those aweful parents of yours, that Mudblood I had murdered," he said, hoping to falter Harry as he had done in the past by those remarks but Harry didn't move. Apparantly he was much less impulsive than a mere few months ago.

"You're wrong," Harry whispered amusedly, "I was chosen for the Prophecy because  _I'm_  simply stronger than  _you_ ," he grinned as Voldemort sneered most angrily and was now only a foot away, his wand jabbed harshly in Harry's chest as the boys scar was bursting with pain he ignored.

"You're a boy, seventeen years old...and you think your stronger than me? Hah! You've quite the delerious imagination, Potter..."

Harry closed his eyes tightly and gathered up all of the magical energy he had left in his core, he was briefly aware of Voldemort still chortling on but it seemed so faraway and distance as he focused his mind. He collected his thoughts and took a deep breathe before whispering in a barely audible tone, " _Avada Kedavra_ ," and even though it was so quiet, it seemed to echo through the entire room above Voldemort's venomous screams.

The Dark Lord was visibly thrown backwards by green light that erupted out of Harry's entire body, pushing all at him. It flooded Voldemort, and he screamed bloody murder as his body was sent flying through the air and hit the opposite wall as Death Eaters watched with widened eyes. Harry felt himself go weak and fall to his knees, his entire world going black.

Draco had been distracted by Voldemort's curdling screams but brought himself together to protectively stand in front of Harry's collapsed body. He was still breathing, which was all that mattered to the blonde as the green light that had been surrounding Voldemort slowly disappeared. The Dark Lord didn't move. A few Death Eaters swarmed to him as the others looked mullified at what to do, wands pointed at the two teenage boys.

"He's dead!" one hooded man cried and then it all happened so fast.

The door to the dungeons was snapped in four it seemed as Kearia bounded through. She immediately stood in between Draco, Harry and the approaching angry Death Eaters. And then as voices screamed numerous curses, Draco's world went black too and he fell slumped to the ground.

* * *

 

Draco awoke a few hours later, well into the middle of the night, and he immediately recognized the scratchy sheets he lie underneath of as the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. A smile broke across his face but then he quickly shot upwards, his eyes scanning the room. "Harry?" he called out in a loud whisper, but then his eyes fell on the boy sleeping next to his own bed. Sighing with relief he climbed out of bed and into Harry's, seeing as the room was empty, and he wrapped himself around the other peaceful looking boy and fell back to sleep. Draco didn't know what happened, and at that moment he didn't care. All that mattered was Harry was alright.

When he awoke once more it was to the shrillness of Madame Pomfrey's voice, groaning he snuggled closer into the familiar musky scent that radiated off of Harry. "Mister Malfoy! Release my patient at once!" Madame Pomfrey ordered, Draco groaned and opened his eyes to the bright sunlight that was creeping in the windows only to shut them tightly again. "If you don't release Mister Potter this-"

"Poppy," came the Headmaster's calm voice, "I do feel as though maybe Mister Malfoy's contact will only assist in Mister Potter's recovery," Draco smiled inwardly and thanked the old man. "However, I do believe since Mister Malfoy is awake he should be aware that there are many people in the room wishing to speak with him,"

Draco immediately shot upwards, unaware of how many people there really were in the room. It turned out to be Severus, Remus, Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, the rest of the Weasleys, Madame Pomfrey, Hagrid, and McGonagall. Groaning Draco sat himself up against the headboard and rubbed his eyes before glancing down at Harry again.

' _He's never this deep of a sleeper..._ ' he thought before turning to the rest of the group who were all seated in chairs surrounding his and Harry's bed, those his was now thoroughly unoccupied. "Mister Malfoy, how are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked calmly, making Ron scowl immediately at him. Apparantly they were all there for quick answers.

"Fine, thanks," Draco furrowed his brow as his hand was absently petting Harry's head.

"Would you stop touching him like that and get back in your own bed?" Ron snapped finally.

Draco sneered over at him, "You heard Dumbledore now piss off, Weasel," this comment rewarded him with quite a few disapproving looks that he did not care for. He still hated Hermione and the Weasleys, nothing to do with his affiliation with Harry would ever change that.

"Draco...I think we'd all like to know exactly what happened last night! We showed up and Potter was unconscious, Lucius was stunned, and over thirty Death Eaters were being mulled by that...thing," Snape spat.

"Kearia? Where is she, she alright?" Draco groaned, just thinking about how frantic the brunette would get.

"That beauty, she's just takin 'erself a nap outside me cabin! Can't believe it when Dumbledore told me, well I o'course jumped on 'er case and got 'er all fit up in no time! She seems to be missin' her Mommy though! I'm so proud of yeh and Harry fer being the first Wizards to capturing and training a Chimeara, bloody beaut'ful!" Hagrid was smiling brightly at Draco, which unnerved the boy completely.

"We did not train her and do not let Harry hear you say that...it gets his wand in a rather tight twist," Draco smirked at the thought of hearing Harry quickly retorting that statement and then blushing and acting as shy as he usually would.

"Kearia aside," McGonagall began testily, "The Death Eaters were either killed by her or subdued by us. They are all awaiting trial at the Ministry, including your Father," she explained.

Draco nodded numbly. They had actually done it? "Is Voldemort dead?" he asked.

"Yes, but how is still of a mystery to us. This is vital to Harry's health," Dumbledore said earnestly.

"Why do you all look so..sombre?" Draco raised an eyebrow, still playing with Harry's soft raven hair. "Harry finally did what you used him for, and should you not be celebrating that the Dark Lord is finally dead?"

"We didn't use Harry! He's my best mate!" Ron stood enraged, but Hermione yanked him eagerly back down into his seat and looked sadly at Draco.

"Mal-Draco," she began softly, "of course we're all happy that it's finally over. It's just that Harry isn't asleep right now..."

"Yes he is," Draco said automatically, his voice cracking, for he feared anything else the brunette could be. He wasn't dead, that's for sure. His chest was rising and falling slowly.

"No, he isn't. He is in a deep state of rest. He is in a coma," Hermione finished sadly. It explained why everybody, all of the usually ramboncious Weasleys, were just sitting around sadly looking from their laps to Harry and then back to their laps.

"W-will he be okay?" Draco whispered out loud, his eyes darted immediately to the boy lying beside him. That explained why he hadn't moved whatsoever when Draco joined him in bed.

"We do not know, but that's why we need to hear exactly what happened last night before Kearia arrived," Pomfrey urged.

So Draco told them everything, not like there was much to tell. The wandless magic amazed everybody, including him even though he had been there. It was still an extremely difficult thing to accomplish. Pomfrey excused everybody from the Hospital Wing except for Draco, Hermione and Ron who all sat staring numbly at Harry.

"I am sure he will be fine, for all he needs is rest," she assured them.

"How long do you think it'll take?"

"As long as Harry needs," she frowned and left the three to their thoughts.

Draco spent no more than thirty seconds away from Harry in the next two weeks, and only then it was to goto the bathroom. His platinum hair was back to its extremely dirtied state and his scent was absolutely vile from not washing. Ron and Hermione didn't look much better themselves. Draco was becoming used to many of the Weasley's visits, since he refused to leave Harry's side he saw them often.

Still, over two weeks time, the boy had yet to awaken. School was starting in a week and Draco was excited because he had the hopes that maybe things could get back to normal. But then he'd look back at Harry and ask himself, ' _How can things ever be normal with him?_ '. Not like he minded it.

It was one afternoon when Harry was finally opening his eyes. It was a very slow process, but Draco saw them flutter open and then shut again. He immediately ran to Pomfrey's office. "He's waking up, he's waking up!" he screamed excitedly.

Madame Pomfrey dropped everything she had in her hands and rushed over to Harry with her wand out, she then took one look at the boy before turning towards Draco. "Go get freshened up. I need to deal with my patient. Alone," she said firmly before turning back to Harry.

Knowing there was no arguing with the Mediwitch, Draco quickly ran off to the dungeons where he showered and got dressed and fixed his hair. All of his things had been moved there over the past two weeks, readying themselves for Seventh Year at Hogwarts. Draco then ran all the way up eight flights of stairs and into the Gryffindor Common Room where he knew Hermione and Ron were. He was banging loudly on the portrait hole where the two had permenantly moved into, Dumbledore had allowed them to come early so they could visit with Harry whenever they would like.

"What do you want, Ferret?" Ron snapped.

"Harry's awake! Harry's awake, tell Dumbledore, McGonagall, whoever! Harry's awake!" he beamed again before turning on his heel and running back towards the Hospital Wing leaving a gaping Ron in his wake.

Draco felt happiness vibrating through him. He had been so worried that Harry might never recover from using so much of his energy and magic, but now as he stood inside the Hospital Wing he didn't think about that for one second longer. Harry was sitting upright in bed. His hands were trembling as he held a small piece of toast in them, eyeing it wearily. He dropped it and smiled brightly as he caught Draco.

"Wow, you look so...different," were Harry's first words he croaked out. It was true. Clean, well-kept, well-groomed Draco was something he wasn't used to anymore. The perfectly manicured nails, the flat platinum silken hair, the clean skin, no mud on his cloak or the blouse beneath it.

"Harry! Oh, Merlin's beard Harry!" was all Draco could say as he was quickly in Harry's lap, food pushed aside onto the floor, hugging the life out of the brunette who grinned and weakly hugged back.

"I-I heard you never left," Harry said against Draco's hair, he took a long whiff. To him it felt like he had just woken up from one night's rest, but Pomfrey quickly filled him in otherwise.

"Of course I didn't!" Draco quickly said, pulling away from him and then his smile seemed only to brighten as Harry pulled Draco back into another embrace.

"You know I love you Draco," Harry whispered, gently kissing the nape of the blonde's neck.

"I love you too, Harry. So much it hurts sometimes. Gods, I was so worried that..."

"Urgh! My eyes, my bleeding eyes! You wake up after two weeks and this is what I get greeted with?" Ron screeched as he and Hermione approached Harry's Hospital bed where Draco was reluctantly pulling himself off of the boy and onto a chair next to him.

"Sorry, mate," Harry smirked brightly as Ron and Hermione quickly hugged him and sat down next to him.

"Y'know we were afraid we were gonna lose you...right after we'd got you back," Ron explained through flushed cheeks.

"Yeah, but I'm back, right? No need to be sad over that...I just needed...to rest," Harry smiled lightly, he didn't seem put-off about anything at the moment. How could he? He felt better than he had in ages, and he didn't really fully understand why. He had just woken up from a coma, shouldn't he feel worse than this? "Draco, could you pass me my food back please?" he asked, only to be quickly accomodated and his tray of food on his lap again.

"So how are you feeling?" Hermione asked tentatively, trying her best to ignore Draco absolutely beaming up at Harry unable to peel his eyes off the boy.

"Fine. Better than fine, actually," Harry said through a bite of his plain toast, Madame Pomfrey had explained that anything more than that would be too much. "I'm not allowed to leave yet, but she says that by the time school comes around next week I'll be right as red," he smirked.

"Oi mate, you put us in there for a right scare," Ron said sighing, clasping his hand around Hermione's happily now. "Now at least we can celebrate!" he grinned.

"The papers have been going absolutely mad and Molly has been waiting weeks for you to wake up to throw a proper party. Remus is simply beside himself," Hermione smiled gently at Harry who was furrowing his eyebrows.

"Throw a party? What for?" he asked confusedly.

"...you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Harry...V-V-Voldemort is dead," Ron stuttered his name but it came out just the same as Harry dropped his toast back onto his plate as his eyes went wide, "You killed him that night two weeks ago," he explained.

"He's dead? Gone? Forever?" Harry whispered, looking away from his best friends and towards Draco's large smile. Harry immediately melted under those silver eyes that beamed over at him and he took the pale hand that was being offered to him and looked his gaze with Draco's.

"It's finally over. You did it, Harry. We are free," Draco said.

Harry could die then and die a happy man.

 


	14. Such Great Heights

_I am thinking it's a sign, That the freckles in our eyes_

_Are mirror images and when we kiss, They're perfectly aligned._

_And I have to speculate, That God himself did makes us_

_Into corresponding shaes, Like puzzle pieces from the clay_

_And true it may seem like a stretch, But it's thoughts like this that catch_

_My troubled head when you're away, When I am missing you to death._

_When you are out there on the road, For several weeks of shows_

_And when you scan the radio, I hope this song will guide you home._

_They will see us waving from such great heights, Come down now, they'll say_

_But everything looks perfect from faraway, Come down now but we'll stay._

* * *

 

Hermione wasn't exaggerating when she had told Harry that the papers were going wild. The stories were ridiculous, disbelieving, and many of the students at Hogwarts were guessing themselves what actually happened that one August night, but the funny thing was that the stories the papers had come out with were absolutely accurate for once. Harry and Draco didn't find it necessary to hide their relationship. Not with Lucius in Azkaban for life, Voldemort gone, and Narcissa awaiting trial for accessory to a few murders Lucius had commited against Muggles. Draco seemed unphased by this and if he was, he definitely didn't show it or share it with Harry. The students of Hogwarts weren't accepting, but they were too bloody scared of the wrathful Slytherin to approach the newest couple. They spent the majority of their time in classes, out by the Lake with Kearia (who was only allowed on school grounds when accompanied directly by Harry), or in the library with Ron and Hermione.

Things were finally beginning to calm down. But something was still off about these two boys. It was one day when Harry was leaning against a tree in the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest by Hagrid's Hut that he finally admitted what he had been feeling for two months now. It was early November, his heavy cloak was pulled tight around himself as Draco sat beside him watching Kearia play.

"I-I don't like it here," Harry admitted hoarsley.

Draco tightened his arm around the boy and gently leaned over to kiss the top of his head. "What do you mean, you don't like it here? Is it me?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh heavens no Draco, it could never be you. I love you," Harry quickly assured him and then sighed, looking off through the trees in the distance. "It's Hogwarts. Well, not really Hogwarts the place but...I dunno. This," Harry shrugged, he didn't really know how to put into words what he was feeling.

"It's all these people in one place, going to lessons and gossiping, thinking that whoevers taking whoever to the Yule Ball is more important than anything else in the world," Draco began with understanding, his eyes never leaving Kearia, "It's how mundane this life feels now, how unimportant everything has become. How ridiculous it feels to get up, shower, go to breakfast and then to class everyday, how we're supposed to worry about the Quidditch Cup and House Points, how we're supposed to watch how lude we are in front of people. It's too much. Too many people all in one room, you can't really connect with any of them because there's just...too much," Draco sighed heavily and felt Harry snuggle closer into him.

"That's exactly it," he whispered in response. "I-I don't think I want it any more,"

"Neither do I," Draco said assuringly.

It was the first day of snowfall, but the two didn't move from their spot leaning against the tree as they mulled over their thoughts quietly. They didn't move or speak, but they merely understood exactly what they both had meant by their words. They didn't need to discuss what was coming for them in their future, because it was both of their natural next steps. As November turned into December and the Christmas holidays passed without much of a trouble, everybody around the two boys seemed to act like everything was normal. A lot of people were a lot happier than usual because of the Dark Lord's absence, but many Slytherin students seemed sour because most of their parents were locked away in Azkaban.

It didn't go unnoticed by the entire school that Draco and Harry, whenever they weren't together that was, were completely quiet and withdrawn. Draco barely had the audacity to insult those he still believed were beneath him, and Harry hardly ever listened to the conversations of his best friends around him. He didn't like going to Hogsmeade any more either, or enjoying a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks on friday nights. All he wanted to do was sit with Draco in the Forest or by the lake, reading and watching Kearia play.

Both of them had taken a huge liking to reading, it was becoming their life and much more important than their studies. They were both failing pretty much every class but neither seemed to care. Hermione and Ron were growing increasingly worried but didn't say a word as winter slowly melted into spring.

It didn't take Harry and Draco long as the warm weather peeked out for them to finally act on what they had decided on that November afternoon all those months ago. It was one early Wednesday morning when the two had risen earlier than the rest of Hogwarts, as they always did rise with the sun out of habit. They met in the Great Hall with a few pieces of parchment and a quill, Harry began to write without even greeting Draco who sat across from him, smiling calmly. 

It just seemed so right. It took Harry awhile to find the words he wanted to say, and he decided to keep his letter rather short as to not throw his words askew. 

Harry found Hedwig in the Owlrey an hour later and gave her their letter. He then clasped tightly onto Draco's hand and turned to the blonde who was still smiling. Harry found it such a beautiful sight. "Are you ready, love?" he asked gently.

Draco reached up and cupped Harry's face and leaned in to kiss him gently, "I have been ready for the past eight months," he whispered and then allowed Harry to lead the way down the many staircases of Hogwarts.

The two boys walked hand-in-hand out onto the grounds with the dewey morning grass as the sun lit their way. Kearia was waiting for them just outside of the Forbidden Forest, bending down slightly as she allowed the two boys to climb onto her large back. Harry held the Chimeara's mane as Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and breathed in his scent, sighing happily. "I love you so much, Harry," he said.

"I love you too, more than anything else in this world, Draco," Harry admitted and then Kearia took off at an exasperated run.

Back in the Gryffindor Tower, Ron had been woken up by Hedwig pecking at his nose. Swatting her away seemed not to work as she would only come back, so the redhead finally grumbled and walked over to Harry's bed to find it made and empty. Grumbling, Ron took the letter being offered to him and saw whom it was addressed to.

Furrowing his brow, he woke Hermione up in the Girls dormitory and then the two went down into the Common Room. "I don't get it...why did he write us a letter?"

"I dunno, think it's a joke or something?" Ron asked curiously.

"Here, I'll read it," Hermione offered her boyfriend, taking the letter as they settled down on the couch in front of the fireplace.

_Dear Ron and Hermione,_

_I love you guys so much, but we can't keep doing this. Draco and I don't belong here any more, we belong outside and at one with the world around us. We're going to be much happier this way, trust us. Don't go looking for us. We'll come and visit you once school's done. Don't worry about us. We know how to survive and we've got Kearia with us, too, for protection._

_Please don't be angry with me, but we had to do this. It's in our blood, now. It's who we are. Or who we want to be, rather. We're finally going home. Good luck with exams, we will see you in a few months._

_Love From,_

_Harry and Draco._

_P.S. Take care of Hedwig for me, would you Ron?_

Hermione's voice cracked as she read the letter, a sob started from somewhere deep in her chest as Ron took his shaking arms to wrap them around his girlfriend comfortingly, "I know," he whispered gently, his eyes wide and face blank as they sat there, mulling over what they had just read. "It hurts but..." he trailed off, he didn't have the words, he understood but at the same time he was at a loss. 

"...they need to do it, I know," Hermione finished for him, biting out the few tears that stained her cheeks. 

They sat, holding one another silently for a long time, grieving as if they had suffered the loss of Harry completely, before informing their Head of House of his departure. 

And through the forests, between the thickets of trees that bristled in the warm wind, underneath a Spring sky that beckoned to be played beneath, Harry and Draco found their spot. They clung to one another, Kaeria attempting to catch birds nearby; jumping about a small clearing frantically, they both had a book in their hands as they smiled softly as they read in peace.

In a brief moment, where the wind blew Harry's up up onto Draco's cheek, bristling against it, their eyes met. Emerald and silver, levelled and calm, "It's perfect, Harry," Draco simply said. 

Slowly nodding, Harry reached up to capture his lips on Draco's and before he kissed him he whispered, "Home,"

 

_Fin._

* * *

 

_I've tried my best to leave This all on your machine_

_But that persistent beat It sounded thin upon listening._

_And that frankly will not fly, You'll hear the shrillest highs_

_And lowest lows with the windows down, When this is guiding you home._

_They will see us waving from such great heights_

_Come down, now, they'll say_

_But everything looks perfect from faraway_

_Come down now, but we'll stay._

 

 


End file.
